The False Apocalypse - A New Beginning
by Master Xeion
Summary: An epic journey ensues when a black ops agent attempts to save his world from destruction. When an attempt at time travel leaves our hero in 19th century Japan, he soon realizes that he may not even be in the same universe. Watch as this dimension hopper begins his journey to unite the dimensions and save countless worlds! Book 1 (NOT crack)
1. Chapter 01 - Beginning of the End

**The False Apocalypse **

**Book 1: A New Beginning**

**Chapter One**

**Beginning of the End**

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the worlds or characters from the crossovers. If I did I would be working on them and not this. The original characters and world in the first chapter are however of my own creation.

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**WARNING! - If you haven't already read the synopsis**

This is a dimension hopper, an original story / Crossover Hybrid. The first couple chapters are **PROLOGUE** depicting the OC's universe and the events lead him do jump dimensions. This story will cover the events of Rurouni Kenshin up until the next dimensional jump. The Star Wars universe will be covered in the second book The False Apocalypse – Rise of the Guardians. This is a multiple story dimension hopper story that will accumulate main characters from multiple fandoms as it progresses.

**Synopsis: **A man from a doomed world makes a** failed** attempt at time travel and ends up a **dimension hopper** with no control over which dimension he will see next. Read and see the trials and tribulations leading to the creation of the Inter-Dimensional Republic!

Main characters will eventually include a couple of OC's, Kenshin Himura, Yoda, Mace Windu, Naruto Uzumaki, and frequent showings of other characters accumulated along the way. Each will play their own key roles. This is not a crack story as so many dimension hoppers are.

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**-Let the Story Begin-**

**-Prologue-**

"Fate rarely calls upon us at the moment of our choosing," a wise statement from a wise warrior (Optimus Prime). Similarly, few of our heroes have ever waited upon its call. Destiny calls those who are needed, not those who want to be. And so, destiny is forced upon our heroes' whether by the times or the conflict they come to fight.

Why them you may ask? Children dream of adventure and men dream of glory. It takes a mind with purer desires to become a _true hero_. It takes such a being to inspire the masses to fight for their future. No matter how great or how much is obtained, glory will fade and the adventure grow dull. Then those who dream of power must ask themselves; what good is power without a purpose? Power without purpose merely leads to a life without harmony.

So come near and listen to this tale; the tale of a man who forsaking his past and even his future, finds purpose in saving worlds he never dreamed existed. This is the story of one such hero. The story a man; once content with life, thrown deep into the misery of war and lost in worlds that should only exist in the minds of writers.

Who is this hero you might ask, a man from a world too different from your own to care, perhaps? Perhaps yet, it is similar…too similar…"

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**- Planet Earth: 2 AA (After Apocalypse) -**

Deep in a dim and moist cavern, covered in tattered linens and lamenting refugees; a depressed and mournful warrior leaned against a cold stone wall, exhausted by the combat of a recent raid. Covered head to toe in artificial leather, he fought to stay awake, just warm enough to keep his sanity through the horrors he had seen. He would be needed to report in soon and couldn't be caught napping. Occupying his mind with the past the young man in his mid-thirties thought back on the horrors that caused his deplorable situation.

The year was 2133 AD, and planet Earth could hardly be recognized. Over the past two years the once lush planet had become devastated by war. This was certainly not your average war. Literal billions had died, not in traditional combat, but in complete annihilation. It was a massacre the likes of which dwarfed even the horrors of the previous World Wars. Even New York City had been burned to the ground. Few survived and those who did were left with scars more horrific than a few burns. Their minds were broken and exhausted from the stress. All across the world cities burned, the landscape cratered beyond recognition.

It was difficult to believe that a mere two years ago this ravaged husk of a world was on the verge of a new technological era. The world's greatest buildings rose literal miles into the sky, surrounded by flying vehicles so advanced they could nearly touch the empty void beyond. Just in the last decade the first real efforts had been made to colonize the far reaches of the solar system. It was necessary really. Technology had come so far that wealthy humans were living past 150 years of age. Given another half century that would have likely been the average and terraforming efforts would be well underway.

Thinking of Earth's former greatness was difficult for how far it had fallen. Few knew why all this had occurred and those who knew could hardly believe it. The few dozen warriors who protected this cavern were among the few who knew the truth. In fact, it was the reason they were still alive, what few of them were left that is. Once Project Phoenix began, most special ops forces who deserted were killed as part of a resistance movement. They had little choice but to make that resistance a reality. After nearly two years of war only the best remained and that certainly wasn't many.

Globally, there have been minor attempts at rebellion with very few successful operations. The Resistance has been maintained in small cells around the world, hiding underground in communes ranging from 100 to 1000 people. None of them were connected to another in any way. The last group that tried it found themselves surrounded by an entire battalion. By our estimates there are somewhere between four and five million people left opposing this massacre. The world has become a godless wasteland devoid of truth or justice. All that remains is war and self-induced genetic plague. The death tolls have risen well above five billion, and none of them due to nuclear strikes. No they have a better less totalitarian method of destruction, more than a century of hidden technology and genetic plague touted as our salvation at the start of this God forsaken war.

What could possibly bring the world into such a state one might ask? If you could believe it, the truth was in fact quite simple to explain. When faced with an extinction level natural disaster, a group called 'The Saviors' proposed a method of out-evolving the aftermath. Whether by design or sheer bad luck their genetic serum was far closer than a plague than anything so 'Project Phoenix' was born.

As one might imagine a phoenix is a mythical creature capable of birth from its own ashes. If one can imagine human kind metaphorically reviving from destruction it is no longer difficult to grasp the concept, as asinine as it may be. They intend to wipe out humanity as we know it. How they plan to save us all by killing billions and burning our cities is simply beyond my comprehension. I can still remember the day this all started, the day our fate was sealed.

It all started on July 4th 2131, I was fitting Wedge for a cyber-suit I had developed. He was the leader of Zeta squad, a Special Forces team for the United States. Former Special Forces myself, I was the designated engineer for their team after a mental disorder rendered me 'unfit for action'. No longer a member of the operations team itself, I was responsible for developing and maintaining equipment that far surpassed anything that was public knowledge.

At first is seemed like a normal day until we got an unexpected visitor.

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**-Flashback-**

"_Hey Wedge, come see how this fits. The new power core is quite a bit overpowered but it seems to be working." A silvery haired man called from a steel workbench at the corner of a whitewashed laboratory. It was where all the team's best equipment was developed and tested._

"_Well this should be interesting. I didn't think you'd get the reactor done so fast." Although the dark haired Wedge appeared to be about the same age as the other man he was in fact nearly twenty years his senior. Modern technology truly was miraculous. Wedge was a chiseled man as were the rest of his team. His hair was short, per military standard, and dressed in a solid black cyber suit. It was all heavy duty but this new technology was poised to change that._

"_You know me. You were right about the coil by the way. I swear, if you got on with the energy department we would have already mastered the production of anti-matter." _

"_You give yourself too little credit Alden. There's not many who could grasp half the stuff my brain comes up with."_

"_If only I were that creative." Alden's silver hair draped down nearly a foot beyond his neck line. Beneath the bright lights of the lab it nearly blended in with his white lab coat. Though his hair was silver as an elderly man, his body was as young and fit as any recruit. His parents had manipulated their genetics to give their line a series of dominant yet peculiar traits. Their hair was all like Alden's and their eyes as blue as frost. It was amazing how far genetic manipulation had come over the last century._

"_I'm a physicist not an engineer. I'm not supposed to build this stuff. You just keep me alive while I'm on the front lines and we'll call it even." Wedge replied as he took a seemingly leather glove from the desk and fitted his fingers tightly within. _

_Wedge was the team Captain. A doctor in theoretical physics he paid for his education through the military but found he enjoyed the excitement of the front lines. He was more of a genius than I could ever hope to be. Together the two of us developed black ops equipment that took Zeta squad to the top. They were among the best and it filled me with pride to think I had something to do with it._

_With but a thought Wedge's hand became transparent to the edge of the glove. A moment later it returned to its charcoal black pigment. A smirk adorned his face he reached for a device to measure his grip strength. With but a squeeze the two glanced at a nearby holographic display._

"_Four times stronger than the last model and five times lighter. I'm impressed." Wedge commented, satisfied with the results. This could completely change the way they did business. Removing the glove and placing in back on the bench, the team Captain delivered the expected order._

"_I want prototypes ready for the squad by next month. We're going to dominate at the war games." _

_Without warning the automatic door to the lab slid open to the sound of an antibacterial spray that misted the man who strode in. Like Alden his hair was a light silver though it flowed down to his waist and beyond. Somewhat taller and thinner this man entered like he owned the place. His confident stride did not match the square glasses that framed his face._

"_What are you doing here? This is a secure facility, no unauthorized personnel!" Wedge demanded an explanation. "Guards!" He called but no answer came._

"_Stand down Captain I have authorization. It's good to see you again Alden." The condescending man approached the engineer like he had known him for a long time._

"_Zereth…" Alden spoke in an annoyed tone. He could hardly believe this man was here. It had been years but certainly not long enough. Never again would have been too soon with this man._

"_Come now Alden, is that any way to greet your little brother?" Zereth wore a cocky smile as he took a nearby seat and made himself at home. _

"_I have nothing to say to you."_

"_So you still won't agree to my offer, pity." Clearly Zereth had expected the hostility and shrugged it off. There were clearly bigger things on his mind._

"_You did enough to me."_

"_Oh you have no idea. Captain Wedge Pierce I believe it is? Gather your squad. You're expected in the war room at the top of the hour. I think they have a mission for you."_

"_Under whose authority? We're black ops and you're not even military."_

"_Oh believe me, it's not my order. They just told me to let you know and give you this. It does come from a bit higher than the military ranks though." Now that was perplexing. The only one that high on the food chain was The President himself. It was then that Zereth pulled a document from within his coat. Handing it to the Captain it was soon evident that the president's signature and seal adorned the document in the appropriate place._

"_I'll have my team ready."_

"_Oh don't forget Alden. It would seem he's needed as well." The two intellects frowned with a quick glance at one another. Something simply did not add up. Not a moment later Zereth stood and turned to leave._

"_It was good seeing you again Alden. I do hope we can put the past behind us." By the time anyone could have replied Zereth was already past the threshold, the door closing behind him._

"_Mind explaining what the hell that was all about?" Wedge inquired, completely clueless as to how the hell someone like that got this kind of clearance._

"_Believe me, if I knew he were coming I probably would have stayed home today." Alden replied, exasperated by the short incident._

"_Right, and since when do you have a brother?"_

"_In case you couldn't tell, we don't exactly get along." They most certainly didn't. Everyone seemed to have some family member they couldn't stand. Zereth was certainly Alden's._

"_I can see why. He's a prick if I've ever seen one. What the hell did he do to get this level of clearance?" It took elite qualifications to enter this building. Even the janitors had to know enough chemistry so as not to blow themselves up while cleaning a chemical spill._

"_Zereth Nayel, I'm sure you've heard of him, the renowned geneticist."_

"_That Zereth? Well that explains a lot." It certainly did. He was one of the best known geneticists of the last thirty years. If genetics were more closely followed he would be as famous as Steven Hawking._

"_You don't know the half of it."_

"_You're not kidding. Geneticists don't normally have the ear of The President."_

"_It has to have something to do with 'The Saviors,' I know it." Alden could see the perplexed look on Wedge's face and decided to explain. "Some blasted organization he tried getting me to join. Stabbed me with some syringe when I refused." _

"_Infection?" Wedge assumed._

"_No, but it's the reason I was dropped from ops. It did something to my mind, made me unstable under combat conditions."_

"_I read your profile. These 'Saviors,' I wonder what they could be here for?" When Wedge's mind started running it certainly went places. Already he had thought of over twenty reasons why world leaders would need a geneticist. Few of them meant good things in the near future._

"_I wish I knew, they obviously want us though so it's clearly something we can't avoid. You better get going if you're going to gather everyone in time."_

"_I'll see you before the meeting. Let me know if you think of anything I might want to know." Wedge said as he turned to leave. Somehow he knew this was going to be a long day._

"_Will do." Out of the corner of Alden's eye his prototype armor set caught his eye. Of all the people he knew Zereth was the one he trusted least. If he had access to this lab then the prototype was not secure to his liking._

"_Hmm… perhaps it's time for a test run._

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_An hour passed quickly and Alden was pushing it making the war room on time. He had spent quite a bit of time equipping the new battle gear and manipulating some of its programing to make it more closely resemble his traditional lab gear. In the end he looked little different than he did in the lab. The gear was light enough that it fit neatly under his lab coat. The gloves were easily programed to become invisible such that it appeared he wore none at all. The weapons were a bit more complicated as they did not conform quite so neatly as the cloth like armor. In the end he opted to break them down and conceal them as standard equipment within the firing range. It was not as secure as he would like but he couldn't walk into the war room with live weapons._

_Though Alden had promised, his attempt to ensure his prototypes were safe ensured that he was nearly the last person to enter the war room. This facility could easily seat upwards of a hundred personnel if necessary. It was currently populated with at least two thirds that number. The room was shaped as an elongated egg. A number of audience seats were positioned towards the back of the room and easily removable. Towards the front a holo-terminal had been placed where the war table usually sat. It was flanked by a number of chairs, filled by important dignitaries. Finding a seat near Wedge and the rest of the squad Alden spared a glance at his brother. Like them he seemed to be a mere spectator for the event. It was some minor relief but Alden's mind was still edge when a speaker came in._

"_Ladies and Gentlemen, __Artimus Marquis__, President of the United States." An easily recognizable man stood in front of the terminal and announced the most important person in the room. All present stood in respect as the President approached. _

"_That's enough of the formalities everyone, we have an emergency." The President announced gravely. He was a middle-aged man of French genetics, with blond hair that came straight down to his ears. His business suit was effectively standard issue as it had been for the Presidency since more than two centuries ago._

"_For those of you, not yet in the loop, Halley's comet will return in roughly three years' time. Unfortunately NASA has determined that its orbit has shifted. Their latest projection places the comet well within the Earth's path. In fact, every modern simulation available predicts a direct impact._

_Roughly a year ago, that changed. We tried altering its orbit ourselves. That attempt failed miserably. In conjunction with the other nuclear powers the decision was made to simply blow it up and deal with the fragments. I am proud to tell you that as of yesterday we succeeded." With that announcement the room burst into applause but a few of the more scientifically mined individuals could tell that something was wrong. If the problem was solved then why gather all these prominent scientists and military personnel for a private announcement? The president raised his hands and motioned to calm everyone down. _

"_It is with regret however, that I say the cleanup is going to be far more difficult than anticipated. We are currently tracking the fragments. Current simulations show we will be hit by no less than thirty fragments large enough to wipe out major cities. These are Meteor Crater size events. In short, we are still looking at potential mass extinction. If just one of these impacts Yellowstone – well let's just say we're talking ice age levels of climate change regardless of the immediate damage." Silence now permeated the room. A single thought however resonated between nearly every mind involved. This didn't sound much better than a direct hit._

"_Thankfully we should be able to break up most of the larger threats with further strikes. Now that everyone is up to speed. We need ideas. Even with the best case scenario we are looking at enough debris to drop global temperatures below freezing for up to five years. We need food, we need shelter and we don't have enough time to gather anywhere near enough. We need ideas people!" The President stated with urgency and the room immediately filled with chatter._

_Three years was not much time to act. Yes there were contingency plans for the elite but the global economy would be wrecked for decades if not centuries. Few had time to even gather their thoughts, the few who did had very general ideas. The most advantageous involved tracking every fragment over the size of a car and evacuating the target site. They still did not manage to solve the long term problems. That was until Zereth stood and began to speak._

"_I believe I may have a solution Mr. President." Adjusting his glasses as he stood, the silver haired man seemed the very essence of a scientist._

"_And you are?" The President asked to know who he was talking to._

"_Zereth Nayel, geneticist for The Saviors." He clarified._

"_The organization that terraformed the Middle East?" Zereth nodded in response to the President's question. "Very well, I'm listening."_

"_Well, a few years ago I was leading a private super soldier initiative. We were manipulating the genetics of private soldiers to make them stronger, faster and the like."_

"_Forgive me but how exactly does this solve our problem." The President replied, not really seeing where this was going._

"_If your arsenals can resolve the immediate threat of vaporizing entire continents then we can simply adapt to our new environment through genetic manipulation. We've already created plants that are taking back deserts and parts of Greenland. Doing the same for ourselves is not outside of our grasp."_

"_You want to alter the genetics of the entire human population?" It was an outlandish idea. Still, it's not like anyone else had something._

"_Put bluntly, yes. I've created super soldiers capable of thriving in Antarctica. Reducing necessary food consumption is a simple matter."_

"_I like it, but can we do it in time."_

"_Genetic manipulation is a simple task once you know what you want. The serum already exists. With the right resources we can introduce it to the water supply within the week. The change should be complete within a month." Zereth answered with a grin. Few failed to notice that Zereth stood to profit greatly from this._

"_What about side effects? Serums don't have nearly the survival rate of the full procedure." Alden asked, knowing more than his fair share of his brother's business._

"_Hmm, one in three thousand I'd say. Far better than mass extinction I think." Zereth replied before the negative thought could sink in too far._

"_Agreed, unless anyone has any better ideas?" The room was silent. Oh how I wish I thought of something. It was the beginning of the end._

**-End flashback-**

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At first I was proud, if a little skeptical of Zereth's idea. The concept itself seemed sound but I couldn't shake the feeling that something would go wrong. In the end, I was right. Once the serum had been introduced to the population everything seemed fine for the first couple weeks. People were stronger. The rates of heat exhaustion plummeted well beyond record levels. It was then that the side effects started to kick in. At first it seemed like the rejection Zereth had mentioned. When widespread mood swings started afflicting millions an investigation was ordered. Those mood swings soon turned to uncontrollable rage and violence. Most who managed to calm down were changed forever.

That was when it clicked with me. This 'serum' was a more advanced version of the syringe Zereth stuck me with. While it did what my brother promised, it also created alternate and violent personalities within anyone affected. These split personalities became more prominent and volatile around stressful situations. We soon learned that these personalities were like independent beings, like two entirely different people stuck in the same body struggling for control. They wanted control, and badly.

Nearly two months after the chaos began I approached Zereth, hoping he was working on something to get rid of these _parasites_. To my horror he had truly lost it. His words of madness still ring in my mind.

"_Don't you see dear brother, we are the future. These bodies are ours, not theirs! We are humanity evolved. What human could understand these gifts? They don't think like we do. They're not strong like we are. Soon we will rule this world and a new age will begin! All that's left is to free our brothers from their human bonds."_

It was then that I realized exactly what had happened. These other personalities were taking over and all they had to do was cause enough grief to give these personalities strength. The rage took hold in me and I tried to kill Zereth. Nothing would have pleased me more than have strangled him with my bare hands for creating this mess. But I was incomplete. Though I could feel this other _thing_ in my mind it was faint compared to what everyone else was feeling. I didn't have the level of strength they did. He tossed me aside like a rag doll.

The next day I returned to the lab, working with Wedge and the team to come up with something. We may not have been geneticists but we were intelligent and had all the world's greatest knowledge at out fingertips. That was, until the order came down. As the plague took hold among world leaders they came to listen intently to the words of The Saviors, their creators. Project Phoenix was a go.

It was the beginning of the end.

"This is normal talk"'This represents thought'

"_This represents talking in mindscape."_

'This is Demon/ Summon thought'

"_**This is Demon Mindscape Talk"**_

"This is Demon/ Summon/ Gundam/ Mobile suit Talk"

**-Flashback-**

This is standard text in flashback

"_This is talking in flashback"_

'_This is thought in flashback'_

**-End Flashback-**

**Chapter Notes**

Yes I did break this up into two chapters. This simply seemed to be a good place to end this one. It was also proving difficult to flow into the next as well as getting too long for a single chapter.

I hope you enjoy the new opening. Chapter 2 is already here.


	2. Chapter 02 - Project Phoenix

**The False Apocalypse **

**Book 1: A New Beginning**

**Chapter Two**

**Project Phoenix**

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the worlds or characters from the crossovers. If I did I would be working on them and not this. The original characters and world in the first chapter are however of my own creation.

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**-Prologue Continued-**

For a Phoenix to be reborn it must first die. How it dies does not matter, only that it does. In a glorious burst of flame it will turn to ash and out of those ashes it will rise a new. Though small and fragile at first, it will grow quickly into one of the greatest mythological signs of power ever conceived. The old and frail, quickly replaced by unparalleled strength and beauty. It is immortality at its most elegant.

Mankind must rebirth from its own ashes. This was how these parasites thought. We, the military were to be its harbingers and they would inherit the earth. By destroying anything and everything in our path we were to sew terror into the lives of everyone who had not yet turned; forcing the serum to take full effect. Few had the strength of mind to fight it. Terror was the key to their endgame.

By the end of the day, all the world would seem to be ground zero of a zombie flick. There would be one major difference however. There were no zombies, only humans and their violently anti-human parasites. It was shocking how easily they could tell the difference. At the time few realized that they could see a larger spectrum of light, including thermal. Apparently there also a difference in core body temperature between the two 'species.'

Returning to the lab in an attempt to look like we were following orders, Zeta squad gathered and geared up. Once he made sure we weren't being monitored he asked us all a simple question.

"Are you with me or against me, cause I'm not following the orders of these parasites! I don't know how but we're going to find a cure. I swear it!" Wedge was as loyal an American patriot as they came but some things were simply more important. As reality stood the entire country had been taken over by a group of monsters. They had to be stopped at all costs.

Most of us didn't have to think at all. We knew this was all a madness, a madness that was gripping mankind at its roots. Unfortunately, few members of the team had already fallen into their grasp. They made a move to attack and we had no choice but to respond. As Wedge shot one in the face, Alden used his prototype gear to vanish from sight. Before Wedge could get another shot off Alden had decapitated the remaining assailant with a long knife.

"I'm with you. I can't let my brother get away with this." Alden replied as he appeared yet again, flinging the blood off his knife. He glanced at the rest of the team who agreed wholeheartedly.

"Empty the room and wipe our records." Wedge's command was a wise one. Team Zeta was one of the best and their experimental technology was the thing that made them so. They would need everything they could carry. Everything else would have to be destroyed to keep their advantage.

Each member of the squad geared up and filled their packs with anything they found useful. For Alden in particular his eyes rested on a set of swords he had made for the new suit. The whole set's greatest aspect was its advanced cloaking technology that even masked thermal signatures. Conventional projectile based weapons easily gave away the user's position. While blades required a more personal approach they were silent and left no drifting heat signatures beyond the surface. It was a brutal and dangerous prospect for modern warfare but he had confidence that his suit would return close combat to the battlefield.

Looking back, it saddens me to say I had no idea how right I was.

With all the equipment effectively gathered Wedge placed a series of high explosives around the facility as Alden loaded a self-crafted virus into the database, beyond wiping and overwriting all their data with gibberish it would wreak havoc with every system immediately connected with the building. Rigged with timers, Wedge's explosives were ready to blow once the team was well outside of the city. It would give plenty of time for Alden's virus to spread. It was a somber moment when the team filed out of the lab they spent so much time in last few years.

Without a hair looking out of place Zeta squad left the building under the guise of setting out to begin Project Phoenix. They certainly looked the part. The world outside was terrifying and would have been more so had we not been incensed by our time in black ops. Everyday citizens ran through the streets, fleeing the destruction their own guardians brought upon them. Everything from individual soldiers to hover tanks brought fire and damnation to all in their path. Even air support was brought in for general destruction and mayhem.

With no idea where to go or what to do we focused our efforts on finding a base of operations. A sizable cavern not far outside New York City proved ideal. It was large enough to build a resistance but close enough to the city to gather supplies and work on a cure.

After about a week we began taking in refugees that were found running from the attacks. Every time we went out on retrieval runs I prayed we wouldn't be followed. There were so many enemies out there I nearly forgot the fact that we were invisible. By that point, our safe haven was all we had left. I praise God for every day we remain undetected. But now…nearly two years after this all started, we have failed. The closest thing we've found to a cure only suppresses the parasite, even with regular doses regular doses. As it stands were running short on materials and our latest raid was a complete failure.

Every weapon and cyber suit I made for us enhanced our strength and agility to levels that put us well above any enemy soldier. The invisibility it granted us was its greatest trump card while the enhancements it made to our senses where it's greatest defense. We carried plasma blasters for emergencies but primarily used swords with reticulating plasma blades. When visible they looked like normal swords of various styles but on contact they superheated anything they cut to plasma. This gave them enough cutting power to easily slice through I-beams while allowing them to cool almost instantly afterwards. We were cyber-ninja in in every sense of the word.

To my distress and great sadness, a few raids ago they finally got one of us and learned the secrets to our technology. This last raid proved just how much they learned. A few higher ranking soldiers wore suits capable of seeing us clear as day. Their mechsuits made it nearly impossible to dodge even with our experience and enhanced reflexes. Standing more than fifteen feet high with all the artillery of a tank it was the latest and most mobile advancement to hit the front lines. With our trump card in shambles all that remained was a massacre I'm sorry to say few escaped from.

We lost over half of our members, all over an attempt to bolster our dwindling supplies. Their weapons and numbers were simply too much for us. Even now I'm surprised they didn't follow us all the way back to base. We need to get moving but we have too many refugees to transport safely. I've wracked my brain, trying to find some way enhancing our cloaking tech beyond their capabilities. Without a significant advancement and soon, I'm afraid our attempt at resistance has been for nothing.

'_Oh God… my God, where are you…we need your help…' _Alden thought, praying some answer would come to his mind. At this point it would take a miracle for them to remain hidden. A true miracle would be needed to find a cure, a real cure.

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"Nightscythe, Wedge has requested your presence, its important." The soldier called to Alden with his code name as Wedge's second in command sat leaned against the cavern wall. Like most others in the resistance Alden was cloaked in a black coat that clipped his heels and a thicker under armor that resembled plate armoring but was flexible until impact. Sitting in a corner of a large cavern Alden was shaken from his thoughts by a frantic man in ragged clothing and what could have once passed as a bulletproof vest. The cavern was cold and damp that winter but it was as close to home as any in their situation could hope for.

"What is it this time Rob, another useless raid, you know how the last one went. I was the only one who made it back." Alden's cloaked face was covered by a hood so that only his heavily shadowed mouth could be seen. Even that was thanks to the few lamps that hung from the sealing of the cave. A long Katana rested against his shoulder and a number of hard pouches hung from his belt. Nightscythe, as most people had come to call him when fully geared, had been depressed and deep in thought ever since their most recent armory raid. He had lost a lot of good friends in that one. The only consolation was that Wedge decided to hang back and work on his own project for some unknown reason. Everyone figured he was very close to a breakthrough on something. Alden certainly hoped it was big.

"I know, but it's different he's dying…" This bit of information was defiantly a shocker and brought his dull blue eyes into a freshly livid state, now barely visible in the dim light of the cavern.

"What!? How, he hasn't left the base since the war began? He's been the picture of health. How could he be sick?" Wedge had a special place in Alden's memory. As a friend and mentor Wedge had been close to Alden for years. He was the leader of this cell and had become a father figure to nearly everyone within the cavern. The loss of this man would more than likely crush any moral his allies had left.

"I don't know, but I think its poison. We might have a spy." The young man's face was obviously filled with sadness at this turn of events. Like many others in the resistance, Wedge was the man who gave them life in this hellhole.

"Damn, another point to those parasites." Alden's grip tightened around his sword. Were its hilt made of traditional wood it would have shattered under his enhanced strength.

"Just come, I don't know how much longer he's going to last…" It took a few moments for another response from Nightscythe but Rob let it go, he had done the same thing when he heard the news.

"Ok, Rob… does he really look that bad?" Alden looked at the horror in the man's eyes knowing Wedge had been like a father to him since the war began. He had to everybody.

"…..it's worse than bad…" Rob replied after a momentary pause. The whole situation still had him in shock.

Alden stood and followed the Rob through the cavern till they reached a series of tattered curtains blocking off a back room. It was guarded by two in garb identical to Alden's Nightscythe suit. Mere paces inside the room a man laid on a makeshift gurney. In spite of his youth for this modern age Wedge looked as old as could be as he laid gasping for breath and spitting up blood. The few who looked over him wiped the blood away and propped his head up to keep him from choking.

"You called for me sir?" Alden pulled back his Nightscythe hood to reveal his face and identity to his ailing friend. His words carried a heavy concern that seemed uncharacteristic for one with a record as bloody as Nightscythe's. The name, his code name was one that struck fear into enemy forces after an assassination mission left fifty solders dead including four prominent members of The Saviors. It didn't take long for word to spread about this Nightscythe who lead numerous successful assaults against supposedly high security facilities. A few months after this assassin had showed up, the name had made it to the top of their most wanted list. Few understood how a group of ragtag peasants with swords could take down mech assault suits or an entire military facility. Now that they did understand, it was going to be difficult to rob a convenience store much less continue their normal operations.

"Alden is that you?" Wedge looked as if he had aged dramatically over the past few days. Although everyone knew his relative youth in this day and age, his current condition changed everything. His skin hung as low as it would for someone in their nineties over a century ago. Few had seen anyone look this old in nearly fifty years. It was hard to believe Wedge looked normal only a week ago.

"Yes Wedge it's me." Alden replied, coming closer to the man who helped him design nearly every piece of equipment they had.

"I don't have much time left so listen carefully, I have kept this a secret for nearly a year, but it's nearly complete." He paused, gaining his breath from the strain. The poison was clearly affecting his lungs and spreading.

"I started it after I received a vision. A series of dreams brought gave me an idea. It took so long but I did it. You always told me I'd make a great engineer and I did it!" He paused again, the strain evident on Wedge's sagging face.

"Did what Wedge?" Somehow this poison had to be affecting his mind. Wedge had never been this cryptic.

"A time machine… Alden, you…you are Nightscythe, our best assassin." Through his explanation, Wedge took several moments to catch his breath. Merely opening his mouth was draining him of the last of his energy.

"A time machine?" _'The poison must have really done a number on him if he really believes that.' _Alden tried his best not to belittle what he knew would be the man's dying words. Though he knew there was no way this could be real.

"Yes, it is nearly complete… I would have had you working on it sooner, but I needed you on the outside fighting. How ironic that our roles switched so cleanly…"

'_He actually built the thing? That's impossible. Nothing like that's supposed to exist… even in this age…is it?_'Even the concept was mad. All in the room could barely believe their ears yet every one of them held hope however small that it could be true.

"There is only one missing piece." Wedge stated bluntly.

"…Yes, whatever it takes. What is this missing piece?" Alden replied trying to play along.

"The power core, the one we built. I know we were only able to make a few but its power cell is the best source we have. Use mine, I have no more use for it."

"That's no problem I'll just go and…" Alden replied, seeing something strange in the eyes of the old man. _"Could it really be possible?"_ Alden could barely believe the thought that went through his mind but Wedge was never the kind to joke around with these sorts of things. Somehow he truly believed in what he had built.

"Noo… no… Alden, there is one more request… YOU are the only one I trust enough to send back… From now on _you_ cannot exist. You can't be Alden, you can't be, not in any way…. In any way related to any of us, to anybody or anyone… You are simply Nightscythe. And your mission is to eliminate all The Saviors before this war begins. Save us Nightscythe. Be _our_ savior."

"_Is he really delirious? I've never seen someone so out of it be so sure of himself. I've got to honor his last wish. Regardless of what this machine really does…at least I can let one man die in peace.'_

"Understood." Nightscythe looked around before confirming his understanding. He took note of the men outside the room and thought of the men whose belief and assistance would have been necessary for such a thing to be accomplished. _'I pray to God this is true. These men need some sort of hope after the last few weeks.'_

"Nightscythe, when you go back there will be no one who knows you. Promise me you won't try to contact your old friends… I know you miss them but it could compromise everything…" After hearing these words 'Nightscythe' felt a deep pain at the memories of everyone who had died over the past two years. Still, if this were all true he knew it would be necessary. It had been so long since he had seen any of them, his family, his friends. He missed them greatly but knew that confronting them with anything would easily jeopardize this whole mission. One thing he knew though, his brother would be the first to go.

'_Lord God, I pray this is your doing. If this proves false, I just don't know how I will break it to the men.'_

"Understood, but sir if I may ask one question?"

"Granted" Wedge replied with every ounce of his remaining strength.

"How do you know this will work? You have to admit this all sounds crazy. Honestly, I don't know how I'm even considering this as reality."

"The math works, that's all I can say. But I cannot believe that God in all his mysterious ways would leave us alone in this hellhole. I have…" He winced in pain as he grabbed his heart and his cheeks turned pale and then blue before he coughed and finally was able to breath again.'… I .. I have to believe that for whatever reason God gave me this idea as a way to avert this fate. Something is telling me this is a false apocalypse that must be averted. Now I'm dying and you are our last hope… May God be with you and guide us to victory. Go, save our world!" Wedge stressed out, lifting his head as close to Alden as he could. The strain was too much and he fell back to the gurney. The gallant warrior breathed his last.

Just as Nightscythe was about to speak his final goodbye an explosion rocked the cavern. Screams resonated from the far entrance as the nauseating sound of plasma rifles overshadowed them. The red glow of fires could be seen through the curtains to the main living area. One of the guards on the other side of the room threw the curtains wide, about to warn its occupants when his head exploded off his shoulders from plasma fire.

"Take me to the machine now!" Alden knew that it was his only hope. Even he couldn't stop this attack. If the machine failed as he was almost certain it would, everyone would assuredly die. This was truly their last chance, their only chance.

"Sir!" Several resistance soldiers exclaimed giving a salute before running down a path in the back of the room as they tossed a grenade behind them to block the path. With some luck it would buy them some time. Wedge, was already gone. Perhaps, they thought, Wedge would consider this an appropriate burial. It was all they could do really.

It was only moments later that the 3 came upon the machine built into the back of the room. Towering over and encompassing the entire room it sat, far more imposing than anticipated. It was nearly the size of a large living room, with reactor towers jutting out above a round cockpit, just large enough for one.

"Is it calibrated?" Alden asked as he ripped the power cores from each piece of Wedge's cyber-suit in the corner.

"As far as I know. Honestly, I've never had any idea what Wedge was doing with this thing. I saw it running the other day and he was messing with a circuit board, but other than that…" The man answered truthfully. It was disappointing but it's what they had to work with.

"Fine, is there anything he wanted me to know before using it?" Alden asked as he frantically looked through the control panel on the outside of the machine.

"No, he said to just pull the leaver in the cockpit once you added the power cells to the control panel. I guess he set everything" The soldier pointed to a series of slot inside the small cockpit. There were few buttons beneath a screen that displayed only a pale blue above the mentioned lever. Once the cores were in place the screen came to life, displaying an encrypted text only Wedge could have understood. Alden grinned and shook his head wistfully.

"Whether this works or not I want you to know you are among the bravest men I have ever known."

"SIR!" Saluting as they stood back the two soldiers watched the hatch close and Nightscythe fade from sight. Encased within the machine he saluted the men for the last time. Whether this worked or not he knew it would be the last time.

"I'm off." Nightscythe stated to himself as he pulled the lever and brought a verity of lights to life, surrounding his vision in such flashes he was surprised hadn't caused a seizure.

The soldiers finally burst through the blocked doorway shouting "your under arrest!" only to notice the violently flashing machine in the back of the room. Shaking, revving; and pity much scaring everybody shitless it seemed like it was going to explode. Then all in an instant, a brilliant and blinding flash left friend and foe momentarily blinded. Before anyone could regain their sight the entire room fell dark as the machine vanished into thin air.

"You two, what the hell was that thing!" One soldier demanded of the two rebels as soon as the few lights that hung in the room flickered back to life.

"Your demise." They stated with a smirk opening their shirts to reveal numerous explosives, which flashed red a few times before blasting the room into oblivion.

The next time Nightscythe opened his eyes the first thing he noticed was a massive headache as he started looking around.

'_What the hell?… where am I? Oh yea the machine, ok so... my God it worked… I'm back…wait…what?'_ He flailed his arms around looking for something recognizable, his eyes still adjusting to the light. A hand passing slowly across a series of noticeably wooden boards, his eyes soon focusing on a rice paper doorway. This was defiantly not something you were likely to find in the middle of New York.

"FUCK!" Nightscythe shouted as his eyes finally found focus and he realized how traditionally Japanese the walls were. Leaping out of the sheets that covered his body he stumbled across the floor trying to find a way out. _'Surly it didn't send me to…" _that was when he finally got a look outside. Green trees and traditional Japanese pagodas were all that could be seen.

"Where am I?"

**-End Prologue-**

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**Chapter notes**

So that is the new beginning, I hope you like it. If you have read the previous version I'm sure you see where I'm going with these 'parasites' as a strong parallel to their future enemies. That should bring a stronger overarching plot to the whole story, beyond what is happening in each world.

As to the suggestion that I pair Kenshin with Tomoe instead of Kaoru; I can't say I'm a fan of this idea. Though I do like the pairing I feel that Tomoe's death is an important tragedy in Kenshin's past. She** is** the history of his scar and the very thing that made him who he was in the series. I will say I don't like how I made Kaoru a healer in my original story. While she's not really a front line fighter in Rurouni Kenshin she was certainly not a healer. We will simply have to see where I'm able to take her as I get into that.

Additionally I will be keeping the original story up as it is until I this version catches up. At that point I will be bringing it down.


	3. Chapter 03 - Lost in Reality

**The False Apocalypse **

**Book 1: A New Beginning**

**Chapter Three**

**Lost In Reality**

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the worlds or characters from the crossovers. If I did I would be working on them and not this. The original characters and world in the first chapter are however of my own creation.

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"Excuse me, are you alright?" A female voice said behind Nightscythe, sounding oddly familiar. She had clearly just entered the room having heard him moving. The voice was certainly not in English though he recognized it easily. His time in black ops taught him quite a few languages. Japanese happened to be one of the ones he learned more thoroughly thanks to the number of training missions he ran in conjunction with the Japanese Self Defense Force.

"Japanese… well that makes it official I'm in _Japan_. Son of a bitch I'm in JAPAN!" Nightscythe threw his arms up in the air and punched the wooden floor in annoyance at the revelation. Of all the things Wedge could have developed how the hell did he manage to make a time machine? What was worse, how the hell did he manage to make one capable of throwing him onto the opposite side of the planet?

"I'm sorry… do you speak Japanese?" The mysterious boy was obviously perturbed by something though she didn't have a clue what that was. Actually that was the first time she had ever even heard English before. The woman clearly hoped he understood. It was bad enough having to pull some kid out of some kind of wrecked pod near your shed. An inability to communicate at all would make figuring out what happened nearly impossible. They would likely have to contact the local police to locate a translator.

"Yes, sorry but where am I exactly? I know its Japan but…?" Nightscythe asked in Japanese, struggling just a little to remember the words he learned years ago. They came quickly enough, much to his relief and the woman's. His Japanese was certainly not the most fluent she had heard but it was certainly adequate. At this point Nightscythe was attempting to gain as much information as possible. Clearly he had been taken in somewhere. He assumed something had knocked him out; though at the moment he was unsure of how long. Taking in his generally bland surroundings he noticed that this woman wore a purple though traditional Japanese yukata. Her hair was long and black as was traditional in old Japan. One thing that struck him as peculiar though was her blue eyes. While not entirely uncommon in modern society, especially Japan; the traditional surroundings meant he was likely a bit further back in time than anticipated. Possibly a LOT further back than anticipated. If that was so then the eye color was quite strange. Oh how Nightscythe hoped that he was just in a historical district.

"You're in Tokyo; we found you in some wreckage outside my family dojo. I'm Kaoru Kamiya by the way… Kenshin, Yahiko stop hiding behind the door!" The woman snapped as soon as she sensed the eavesdroppers' presence. Were she not so frightening the reaction would have been rather comical.

"Yes mam!" In an instant both men scooted around the door and knelt upon the freshly polished floor. Both were quite curious about the silver haired boy they found. It wasn't often one found steel wreckage on your property, even rarer when the wreckage contained a living child. To their knowledge silver hair was certainly not normal for children; in fact the boy looked very out of place. As they slept last night, everyone in the Kamiya family dojo woke to an enormous crash. At the time it sounded like cannon fire and everyone rushed outside, prepared for battle. It was a relief to find no attack but rather some strange wreckage. His clothes were by far the most outlandish they had ever seen. Large enough to fit someone three times the boy's size and of some leather like material. It was difficult to describe exactly. Knowing those clothes would do him no good they put him in an extra set of Yahiko's clothes, much to his dismay.

"This is Kenshin and Yahiko. They pulled you out of that – thing you were in." Kaoru introduced and the two men gave their own short greetings. At hearing those names and seeing those faces however, Alden was in no shape to answer. The appearance of the two made matters worse, much worse. Kenshin was short, just a bit over 1.5 meters but his long red hair and cross shaped scar on his left cheek were quite distinctive. Though pink as a sakura petal one could tell from his attire and the way Kenshin held himself that he was clearly a Samurai of the highest caliber. Yahiko on the other hand was obviously a child of twelve or so. His dark hair was spikey and wild while his yellow kimono had clearly been patched more times than not. It was impossible not to recognize these people.

"… But - That - that's impossible" Alden's eyes grew wide and his breathing heavy. _'No, NO this can't be happening. That - I've lost it. I can't be talking to them. There's no way in hell.' _His eyes widened in shock, unable to believe who it was he was seeing. A time machine was hard enough to believe. This on the other hand, was on an entirely different level. It was madness, that or the weirdest trip he had ever been on.

"What's impossible?" Yahiko replied, somewhat disturbed by the sheer level of disbelief he was seeing. Quite frankly Yahiko himself had a far more measured reaction to Kenshin being the Battousai, the legendary manslayer of all things!

"You – them... You can't be real. You - you can't be, can you? ... Yet, you look the same…" Look the same, they certainly did; there were differences of course but the resemblance was uncanny. They looked far more real than anything Alden had seen in the comics or the show for that matter. All the features however, were plain as day. Studying his surroundings for just a moment Alden could only come to one conclusion.

"I'm dreaming; that has to be it. Everything makes so much more sense now." Half laughing at the revelation, Alden smiled. _'Of course there was no time machine; that would be ridiculous. Clearly I've just had a rough day. Quite frankly it's been a rough week. I probably got ahold of some bad meat, went to bed and now I'm having the weirdest, most vivid dream in years.' _Yes, that had to be it. There was no other explanation. It all made far too much sense. Why else would he be seeing characters from a hundred year old manga?

"The same as what?" Kaoru asked, her head tilted slightly to her left. Alden however, did not respond to the question and continued to look around. Honestly, what was the point in replying to a dream? Only moments later he waved his hand aside and gave himself a strong smack across the face. In the short moment between recognizing the pain he felt and blinking in confusion he was quite roughly tackled to the ground by an irate Yahiko.

"The hell are you doing, dumbass!" Yahiko screamed from on top of the silver haired boy whom he shook by the collar as violently as he could. Still Alden paid him little mind. He was lost in the fact that he felt _pain in a dream_; that was not supposed to happen. Sure you could feel fear or happiness in a dream but _pain_? Something was wrong here and none of it made any sense. Could he really be in the place he was seeing? It was impossible of course, but here he was.

"Yahiko, STOP this instant!" Kaoru screamed, horrified at what Yahiko was doing. While clearly out of it, this boy had been through enough already. He clearly didn't need to add any kind of injury to the list. "Seriously, who taught you your manners?" The crime syndicate they saved him from certainly didn't try very hard, that much was certain. Kaoru soon grabbed Yahiko by the ear and drug him off of the silver haired boy who seemed to shell-shocked to have even realized what was happening.

"You really should try to calm yourself; that you should." Kenshin added, ruffling the kid's hair after Kaoru dropped Yahiko right next to him. The dark haired boy was not very receptive of the action and fought to regain control of his hair. If there was one he hated above all else it was being treated like a little kid. He was the son of a Samurai after all.

'_It can't be a dream' _Alden realized much to his fear. Thank God he had taken the 'cure' recently or that parasite would have been tugging at the back of his mind. He now hoped that this was all some very strange dream but knew that it wasn't possible. Everything that was happening was far too vivid even ignoring the issue of pain. Looking down at his hands Alden stared in disbelief only to notice yet another thing that was off; his hands were small. Blinking purposefully, he hoped that they would return to normal size. Much to his continued dismay, they didn't.

"Forgive Yahiko, he can be very impulsive; that he can." Kenshin requested calmly. This boy was getting stranger by the minute. Whether or not they found any answers he certainly hoped the boy would be ok. With the way the body stared down at his hands it seemed that this event was about to get even stranger. That was until the silver haired boy shook his head and lowered his hands, determined not to look at them anymore.

"What is your name anyway; you're certainly not from around here?" Kaoru surmised, the boy obviously didn't have an ounce of Japanese blood.

"Oh sorry, I guess you can call me… All…" _'I know what Wedge said, but what could it matter now? Either this is all a dream or I'm lost in another reality. Humph… another reality…'_ "I'm Alden Nayel."

"Ah – Aru-den Na-ye-ru?" Kaoru replied, having never heard such a strange name before. The name was actually quite difficult to pronounce in Japanese, at least the way it should be pronounced.

"Ha what kind of name is that! Seriously you had to make that up on the spot to come up with something so stupid!" Yahiko screamed as was usual loudmouth and expressive nature.

"You shouldn't be so rude to our gests Yahiko; that you should not." _'Still, why would a kid have to make up a name? Must be in some sort of trouble, poor kid.'_ Kenshin thought to himself. Still he was quite young himself when he became an assassin. It was difficult for him of all people to judge.

"If you're not going to listen to me than at least listen to Kenshin, Yahiko. I'm sure he's had a rough time as it is. After we found him in that metal thing last night, well I'm sure he has his reasons for making up a name." Alden's eyes widened at the mention of a 'metal thing.' _'Oh God what I'd give to be back home right now. Wedge you were just too damn smart for your own damn good. On the other hand I'm not on the receiving end of the apocalypse.'_ Well, at least there was some good to come from this awkward situation.

"Look, I didn't make up the name. I'm just not from Japan." Alden replied mater-o-factly. _'Or this time for that matter.' _"Most people don't exactly call me by my real name anymore."

"Then what does everyone call you?" Kaoru asked honestly, what was the point in telling people a name you didn't use.

"Aside from it being difficult to translate, you wouldn't believe me if I told you. Hell I can barely believe what's going on."

"Then tell us and let us decide! We did save you, you know." Yahiko did have a bit of a point there. From the sounds of it they found him in his wreaked time machine. Though Alden hadn't seen it yet, it certainly did sound like it wasn't in that great a shape. The fact that he had been unconscious for a while was proof of that.

"Right, so you want me to tell you that I'm an assassin from the future, sent to stop the apocalypse. Then I suppose you want me to tell you that I recognize you from a hundred year old CARTOON!" Alden replied, his voice dripping with a mixture of annoyance and sarcasm. Though he meant every word he could still hardly believe it himself.

"Uh, what's a cartoon and why would anyone send a kid back in time?" Yahiko asked, completely confused by the outburst. Kids weren't assassins and time travel was… well it was time travel. Anyone who believed that kind of story needed mental help of the serious variety.

"What do you mean 'who would send a…' you saw that too then?" This new revelation solidified in Alden's mind how real the tiny hand he had seen earlier really was. At first he brushed it off as being way too sleepy for his own good. If they could see it too then his situation was far worse than he had imagined. He stood wordlessly and began to walk through the dojo.

"Where's he going?" Yahiko asked. Everything this kid seemed to do just got weirder and weirder.

"I don't know but I think we need to keep an eye on him." Kaoru replied; she now knew something beyond weird was happening and it had her concerned. Kenshin was having similar thoughts; he knew he heard the word assassin correctly. True or not, a kid who believed he was an assassin was going to be trouble. If the boy honestly believed he was preventing the end of the world, it would be difficult to dissuade him from attempting whatever assassinations he may have had planned. With all three of them in agreement they set out to follow the kid to wherever he was going. Hopefully the boy's destination wasn't far. It was much to their relief that Alden only went out to their well. How exactly he knew where it was, well that was beyond them?

As Kenshin and the group came up behind Alden the saw him staring into a bucket of water he had drawn high enough to make out his reflection. About the time they were within earshot they noticed he was already speaking to himself.

"…Biggest fuckup ever. This trumps your bachelor's party, Wedge; oh it trumps it by a loooong shot. I admit you tried to save us, but how the hell am I supposed to work with _this_. You overshot the time period by two centuries; bad, devastating really, but a reasonable mistake considering how experimental it was. To make things worse, I'm in some alternate reality where cartoons exist. I don't even know what to say about that! Oh, and to top it all off, I'm twelve fucking years old…" Alden stood in silence, staring down at his image. He was far shorter than the nearly 1.8 meters he had grown to in adulthood. What the hell was he supposed to do with a twelve year old body? Worse, the odds that he could rebuild the time machine were… low to say the least. Even if Alden managed to find the parts he would likely need, in the 1800's of all places; he would have no idea whether it would send him home or into yet another even stranger dimension. Clearly some of Wedge's calculations had been off; how much it would take for this result was another story.

Kenshin and his friends simply stood watch over the boy who seemed to be spouting nonsense. This Alden boy had clearly hit his head far harder than anticipated.

"You should go get Dr. Gensai; that you should." Kenshin whispered to Yahiko. This boy was going to need help and he wasn't sure even Gensai could offer what he needed.

"You must think I'm so crazy right now." Alden spoke to them before Yahiko even had a chance to respond to Kenshin's request. "I can hardly believe it myself and everything I've ever known is gone. Poof, like a powder keg." Spreading his fingers to imitate an explosion above the well, Alden turned and sat on the edge.

"What makes you think you're from the future?" Kaoru asked, her voice held genuine concern for the boy, yet at the same time it held a rather high level of disbelieve that this was even happening. Most crazy people didn't get this crazy, and certainly not at that young an age.

"Does this hair look natural to you; it shouldn't, not on a twelve year old? Where I'm from we can manipulate people's bodies to make that sort of thing natural." Alden replied, like the explanation would the most natural thing in the world. It did feel a bit weird to him though, wording genetics like that, using such simple language.

"You said something about being an assassin. I think you should start there; that you should." Kenshin inquired about what little he had gathered from the boy's ramblings. It was an urgent concern of Kenshin's. Little boy or not, they needed to know if he was a threat and determine where to go from there.

"Don't worry, Himura; I'm not here to kill you or your leaders. I was only supposed to go back in time a couple years, not centuries. The people I'm worried about won't be born till long after your great grandchildren are dead and gone." While Yahiko and Kaoru hadn't noticed the one thing truly off in the statement, Kenshin certainly had.

"Kaoru dono never mentioned my family name; that she didn't." Kenshin pointed out, much to Alden's amusement.

"Of course you didn't and the reason I know that is the same reason I know your real name isn't Kenshin either. Your master gave you that name. He said Shinta was too soft for a swordsman." Now that statement above all others had shocked Kenshin to no end. NOBODY knew that name. His Master Hiko Seijuro was the only person to ever know that. Not even Tomoe knew that little piece of Kenshin's past. It had certainly shocked Kaoru and Yahiko as well; they soon turned to Kenshin for an answer.

"How did you...?" Kenshin trailed off, unsure of how to respond. He tried a few more times to express a coherent thought but failed miserably. Of all the secrets Kenshin had, that was the one he long intended to take to the grave.

"Oh, I know many things about you Kenshin, like how you got your scar." Alden emphasized by pointing at the offending leftover of war. In truth, it was far more complicated than that.

"Enough, how do you know all this?" Kenshin replied, somewhat angry at his personal information being displayed so openly. The lack of his verbal tick, more than Kenshin's tone told Alden it was time to back off of that particular subject. That piece of information had truly struck a nerve with the pacifist of a swordsman.

"That – will be a little hard to explain. Nearly every bit of technology responsible for that does not yet exist." At this Yahiko choked out a laugh. To him it was one hell of a copout answer.

"I suppose the simplest answer is that, in the future we spend much more time being entertained than you do today. Reading and… watching stories is a major part of modern culture. I don't know how but I can only assume that the author of a series called 'Rurouni Kenshin' had some kind of connection to the events of this world. He wrote an entire story about your life."

"Wait, you're telling me that Kenshin is the main character of some kind of story?" Yahiko stated in disbelief. The entire idea was truly laughable. On the other hand, the kid did know things about Kenshin that he clearly didn't want anyone to know.

"Let's say I believe you; you said you're an assassin, why?" Kenshin replied, not particularly satisfied with the answer but knowing full well that it was the only answer he was going to get.

"That's not what you're asking. You want to know why a kid would be an assassin. For starters, so were you. Secondly, I'm thirty-eight. Why the hell Wedge's time machine regressed my age, I don't know. If I did, I likely wouldn't be here right now."

"That still doesn't answer why; that it does not." Kenshin relaxed noticeably at the answer. Though he still seemed a bit perturbed.

"The world I'm from has devolved into chaos. We tried saving ourselves from disaster but my brother sold us out. Thanks to him we are facing a genocide, the scale of which the world has never seen. Since my brother got us in this mess it is my duty to stop him." Alden replied firmly. Zereth had to be stopped at all costs. Being trapped in an alternate reality was frustrating to say the least.

"You want to kill your brother?" Kaoru asked, horrified by the thought. She never had any siblings but knew how close they should be. That was the sort of thing that shouldn't have to happen.

"Would you put down a rabid dog?" Alden replied without hesitation. That truly was the full extent of his feelings towards his brother at the moment. Zereth had become a monster among monsters. Kenshin's mind was elsewhere however.

"This genocide, how bad was it?" Kenshin asked seriously.

"Come on Kenshin you can't possibly believe this nonsense?" Yahiko tried to reason with the legendary samurai.

"He knows things only I should know; that he does. Unless he can read minds I see no alternative." Kenshin replied honestly.

"Still, that's impossible. Time travel can't exist." Kaoru added.

"That's what I thought yesterday." Alden commented offhandedly, drawing everyone's attention yet again.

"Look, Dr. Gensai is making dinner tonight so let's go inside and relax." Kaoru continued. The sun was starting to get high and they would much prefer the shade.

"Just stay to the porch. I haven't seen greenery this peaceful since the war started." Alden looked around at the trees that framed the traditional wooden structure of old Tokyo. It was a beautiful sight to take in. All he could remember from the last two years were caverns, missile craters and blood. There was so much blood. Kenshin nodded in agreement and moved into the shade of the porch alongside the dojo.

"If you want to know how bad it was, I'll tell you. All the world was a wasteland. Our enemies called themselves The Saviors and murdered everyone in their path. It didn't matter if they were women or children, everything just died. Last I heard, the war had already claimed the lives of nearly six billion people" Kaoru gasped in horror at the information while Kenshin's eyes were livid in anger with what humanity had brought upon itself. Meanwhile while Yahiko just looked at Alden dumbfounded.

"Are there even that many people on the planet?" Yahiko asked, surprised that there were that many people in existence.

"Now… no? In the next two hundred and fifty years or so, the world population should be nearing twelve Billion."

"But that's almost half!" Kaoru exclaimed, shocked by the sheer height of the numbers.

"Oh trust me, after their most recent plan I'm sure they will have it much lower. I have been fighting, developing better weapons to fight them, but their technology, their resources are just too great. There's only so much you can do with swords when your fighting machines the size of buildings. Even if my swords are capable of cleaving threw steel beams, even if we can become invisible, it's just too much. They called me Nightscythe. I was one of maybe twelve people with the courage to get in close enough for that kind of combat, and the strength to survive it. Time travel was a last ditch effort."

"I take it you plan to rebuild your machine?" Kenshin asked seriously, looking just beyond the edge of the dojo to the mangled wreckage of the time machine. It did not look to be in the best of shape.

"I doubt I could. It was built by the smartest person I ever knew. Even if I succeeded I would only have enough energy left for one more shot. I'll need time to think." Alden replied, standing and slowly walking towards the wreckage, clearly deep in thought. All the important parts seemed to be there, though bent all to hell. Judging from the size of the crater the machine likely appeared a few hundred meters into the sky. That kind of freefall wasn't exactly conducive to delicate machinery. How he wished Wedge was here to get them out of this mess. He stood, inspecting the wreckage to see what was salvageable but his mind was elsewhere.

"Damn it Wedge, why did you have to go and die!" Alden screamed, punching the mangled hatch with all his might and ignoring the blood that began to flow as readily as the tears from his eyes. The time traveler was going to need some time alone so Kenshin and his allies decided to give it to him. Kaoru of course wanted to go and wrap the wound before Genasi got there but Kenshin stopped her. There were some things people needed to work out for themselves, even if it meant just a little blood. As a warrior well versed in the art of battle, Kenshin understood this better than most. Kaoru had never seen a real battlefield; had never lost allies that were as close as brothers. True, she had lost her father and that carried its own weight. Still everything became different when you put your life in another's hands, battle after battle. It was the gruesome reality of war.

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**Chapter Notes **

Yes I am trying to keep the chapters a bit shorter than in the last version. I feel like each chapter tends to flow a bit better than before this way. At the moment my goal is between 5 and 8000 words per chapter, depending on flow of course. When it starts approaching 8-10000 and it looks like it may be longer I'll probably break it in half **if** there's a good place to do that.


	4. Chapter 04 - Acceptance

**The False Apocalypse **

**Book 1: A New Beginning**

**Chapter Four**

**Acceptance**

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the worlds or characters from the crossovers. If I did I would be working on them and not this. The original characters and world in the first chapter are however of my own creation. Noticeable dialogue from early in this chapter is very similar to episode six of Rurouni Kenshin.

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Leaving Alden to his thoughts, Kenshin and his friends decided it was getting close to lunch so Kaoru left to start cooking. Dr. Gensai was going to cook dinner but wouldn't show up till later and they certainly didn't want to starve till then. It wasn't much later that Sanosuke showed up, likely in the hopes of a free meal. Dr. Gensai's grandchildren Ayame and Suzume came shortly after, letting them know what he would be fixing. What it was really didn't matter to those present as Gensai's cooking was far superior to Kaoru's any day of the week.

Dr. Oguni Gensai was a short old man with a gray Fu Manchu beard. As the local doctor his family had been very close to Kaoru's for a very long time. In fact, he saw Kaoru in much the same way as he saw his own grandchildren. The fact that the two little girls got along so well with Kaoru and her friends was a blessing. To Gensai it was an honor to cook for them on occasion, especially when they weren't getting themselves into trouble as seemed to be the norm with people like Sanosuke around.

Sanosuke was a peculiar person to say the least. He was easily the exact opposite of Dr. Gensai. Tall and muscular his dark hair was tall, spiky, and held up by a red bandana that offset his white coat with the symbol for evil on the back. Most of his life he spent as the fighter for hire Zanza, named for the unbelievably huge sword he carried around. After the Imperialist government betrayed the group who raised him, Sano grew to resent Japan's reigning government, wearing the symbol for evil as that was how the government painted the Sekihotai who raised him. His hatred for the imperialists was no stronger than for Kenshin Himura, well known to be the strongest of the Imperialists. That was of course until he actually fought Kenshin and saw the man the former Battousai had become. Though their friendship was a bit awkward they did seem to get along very well. Sano's strait forward attitude did well to counterbalance Kenshin's reserved contemplating.

Since Sanosuke's defeat he starting hanging around Kaoru's dojo quite a bit. In truth, he was usually looking for a free meal since he no longer had a job. Thankfully for him they were hospitable, though he was not a fan of Kaoru's cooking; it was always too spicy for the dish or bitter, and more often than not, both. Today was little different. There was one major exception though. The strange new kid with Silver hair and the stranger backstory.

At first Sanosuke had a good laugh at the supposed joke that was a time-traveling kid. Once they showed him the machine however, his next reaction was a bit more comical. Kenshin and the gang spent the next ten minutes trying to pull Sano off the walls. Apparently he felt that Alden was some kind of sorcerer that was going to turn them all into toads. It was obvious, only a sorcerer could have silver hair as a kid! Kaoru thankfully came to the rescue with food; the one thing that could truly bring a halt to Sano's longwinded rants. It was a good thing too; Sano was the kind who thought most technology was possessed with some kind of demon. He even refused to ride a train, or get anywhere near them for that matter.

While Kaoru and her freeloaders ate her barely tolerable food, they did find some morbid entertainment in Alden's intriguing past. Before they could finish eating however, the Police chief came through the gate to the dojo as they shared a laugh over Sano's earlier reactions. He still felt the kid had to be some kind of sorcerer.

"Forgive me if I'm interrupting something important." The police chief bowed in traditional manor of greeting despite his apparent urgency.

"Hey, aren't you the police chief that was trying after Kenshin?" Kaoru replied the second she recognized him. It was surprising seeing the official again so soon. She certainly hoped that his reason for being here wouldn't escalate like last time. It very nearly landed them all in hot water.

"I apologies for the trouble we caused the other day." The chief said with an apologetic bow. Several days earlier the police chief had tried arresting Kenshin on the assumption his superiors wanted the Battousai in custody. On the contrary they wanted to hire Kenshin and make him a government official. The legendary swordsman firmly declined, stating that he had no interest in any kind of power anymore. He was more than content protecting those within his reach as they needed it. Times were changing and governments no longer need to rely on men with his kind of power anymore. The entire ordeal was an embarrassing misunderstanding, especially for his department.

"So why have you decided to pay us a visit today." Kenshin replied with a friendly smile. He could sense no ill intent from the officer, only profound embarrassment over the last incident and what he needed to ask.

"Mr. Himura I have come here today with the purpose of asking a favor of you." Agreeing to hear him out Kenshin and his friends moved out of the sun, just inside the Dojo. Kenshin however opted to sit just outside the door to enjoy as much of the day as he could. None of them knew what the chief was here for but Alden had his suspicions. This scene looked far too familiar.

"This is a problem relating to the authority of the government. There have been several incidents that have been kept out of the news for nearly a decade since they began. I beg you, we need your assistance in order to arrest a serial murderer; a swordsman of amazing skill we have code named Kurogasa. For the past ten years he has only chosen famous politicians of the government as his target, all of whom were imperialists." The chief's tone was grave as he painted an even darker picture. For a whole decade this murderer had made their officers look like incompetent fools.

"All of them were imperialists?" Yahiko asked in disbelief. Clearly this Kurogasa had a grudge against them like Sano once had. Quite frankly the former Zanza did still hold some resentment towards them but even at the height of his hatred he never let it grow that far.

"He announces his intended targets before murdering them. He first goes right through all guards, around the politicians, and leaves so much death behind him that it almost seems as if he enjoys it. Among the victims have been countless women and children as well." Kurogasa, this was a man who had to be stopped at all costs and the chief knew from experience that no officer he knew of was capable of stopping him.

"No way, but you've got guns; can't you shoot him before he does it?" Yahiko had seen the power of a gun before. It was difficult to believe there were people out there capable of rendering them useless.

"Hmm, there were policemen on duty, armed with guns during each insolent, of course. But each and every one of them were slain before they could even pull out their weapons." The chief replied hesitantly. Kurogasa really had played them for fools. With his kind of speed it was impossible to fight him with those kinds of weapons. They needed the Legendary Battousai on their side once again. They needed Kenshin, a warrior who's sheer speed was so legendary that none he seriously attacked ever survived. Those few who saw him reported only a blur in the night. It was rumored that he could even dodge a bullet or deflect it with his blade. Those kinds of skills were beyond human, and it would take such a monster to defeat one such as Kurogasa.

Before anyone else could say anything further the chief bent his head down to the floor in a very deep and humble bow. "Please, I'm begging you to stop him." Though the age of Samurai was long over, only children were too young to remember the days when Samurai commanded great respect. Those few who still existed, or were former Samurai still commanded the same respect among many. Kenshin was just a wanderer now, but for someone with as much authority as this chief of police to bow so deeply, it truly showed how much respect Kenshin still commanded within the government.

Kenshin had long ago sworn to never kill again. However, stopping monsters like this was his way of repenting for all the lives he took during the revolution. He had no choice. Kurogasa had to be stopped. Thankfully there were ways of stopping monsters without killing them.

"That murder called Kurogasa, he must be one of the manslayers leftover from the revolution, just like myself. Even though it is ten years into the Meji era, his heart is still obsessed with the smell and color of blood, a man who cannot stop killing. This one _will_ stop him." Kenshin replied seriously. It was truly sad how war could change people. There were many who couldn't leave that kind of life behind. Kenshin's master warned him about that before he left to join the imperialists.

"Kenshin, I would like to come with you, Sano would be of great help as well." Alden commented with enthusiasm knowing that he could help. If he was stuck here then the least he could do was try to better the lives here. His knowledge of future events could be invaluable.

"I would be most grateful, but what is a child going to do against a manslayer of that caliber?" The police chief looked at the kid a little confused that a child thought he would be able to help. Clearly the boy didn't understand severity the situation. Did he somehow miss the part that countless women and children had already been massacred?

"It does not matter, I am a friend of Kenshin's and am much more experienced than I look. You forget he was little older than I when he was given the title Battousai." Alden replied with a tone well beyond his apparent age. The time-traveler doubted that he could retrofit his armor in time however, his swords would work just fine. In fact, they would prove to be a valuable trump card.

"We are most grateful." The officer replied, knowing all too well how young Kenshin was when he first became that legendary assassin. If this boy were even half as skilled as Kenshin was back then, he would be an asset. The chief left soon afterwards and as soon as he passed through the gates Alden turned pulled Kenshin aside, well away from prying ears.

"Come with me. You need to know about tonight." Alden whispered so as not to be heard. Kaoru and Yahiko didn't need any more reason to worry. As far as they knew he was just another above average swordsman that was still well below Kenshin's ability. Kenshin agreed with a silent nod and followed the silver haired boy to an open field nearby.

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"I take it you know about this Kurogasa." Kenshin stated seriously. In truth this manslayer, this Hitokiri worried Kenshin at a fundamental level. Something felt like they had met before, during the war. If Alden knew anything about this opponent it would be valuable information.

"Kurogasa's real name is Jinei Udoh. His entire purpose in life is to find the ultimate fight." Alden replied plainly; he knew Kenshin would understand the implications.

"So he doesn't care about the politicians. That should make them easier to protect, that it should. It is still troubling, all the same."

"I know what you mean. Morally, it's an easier for us to cut loose; however he makes for a dangerous opponent. His mindset is perfect for a warrior."

"It is difficult to distract such an enemy. Do you know which style he uses?" Kenshin asked, hoping the information was available.

"I do, he is a master of the Nikaido Heiho style and the most proficient user of the Shin no Ippo I've ever heard of." Alden answered in as much technical detail as he could bring to mind. It was actually quite a bit and rather shocking to Kenshin that the boy remembered a single opponent's style in such detail.

"It sounds like you know of many styles this one has faced; that it most certainly does." Kenshin replied, more than satisfied with the information. He would have to be prepared to break the Shin no Ippo, a powerful and fast acting hypnotic technique that could freeze opponents in place with but a glance. At its strongest it could even paralyze an opponent's lungs. It was however a competition of wills. If one's will was strong enough, the technique was largely a minor nuisance.

"I have always prided myself on my memory. I have been able to see through and duplicate many techniques, having only seen them once." Alden truly would be an asset then. If his memory was that good then it rivaled master Hiko's and his own. The same could be said for the ability to duplicate techniques at a glance. That was the kind of skill only true geniuses of combat were capable of. It was the very same ability master Hiko praised Kenshin for. The true measure of the technique however, was how quickly one could duplicate abilities they understood. At the very least it was a wonderful technique for information gathering. At its best the technique was more powerful than any style of combat. So long as one could hold out long enough they could learn their opponent's techniques and use them in battle. Kenshin knew that he would have to see this ability for himself and measure its strength.

"This one remembers hearing of him. Jinei will be a difficult opponent; he will." Kenshin knew his skills had dwindled greatly since the height of the war. It had been over ten years since his last serious fight.

"He will be difficult but not impossible. It would be better to defeat him before he gets serious. Discovering who you are is like candy for him. He will want to bring back the Battousai in you, if it gets that far. I am sorry to say you will likely fail without tapping into that creature." Creature, now that was an interesting way of referring to Kenshin's battle persona. To Alden however, it felt far too much like the parasites where he was from. It was some kind of creature forged in pain and bathed in suffering. It was no wonder Kenshin developed something like that, as peace-loving as he was. No pure person could stay so pure after seeing the depths of war to the point Kenshin had, not without developing something to compensate.

"I won't lie, you need to get stronger and fast. There are many enemies you will face who will push you to your limits. Jinei is but a shadow of things to come. You will need my help."

"That is something this one cannot do; that I cannot." Kenshin replied as quickly as he did sternly. Even if Alden was a veteran of war, he was stuck in the body of a child. It was hard to imagine that not becoming a handicap.

"I may not believe my swordsmanship is up to your level but I can handle myself. If that's not an acceptable answer then you can duel me to find out." Alden replied, his eyes locked in a dead stare with Kenshin. It is said that the eyes are windows to the soul; nowhere is this more true when a master warrior stairs into the eyes of another. They can see things no one else can, in that respect Kenshin was on a level all his own. In those few moments, Kenshin could see how strong Alden's strength of will really was. He would do well breaking the Shin no Ippo but Kenshin couldn't begin to tell how the boy's skill would shrink in his current body. Handling oversized swords would only be the start of Alden's troubles. The boy himself could see the very things Kenshin concluded without a single word exchanged.

"Fight me." Alden demanded, knowing Kenshin stood resolute in his decision. "You need the training anyway." That was a difficult point to argue. A friendly spar certainly wouldn't hurt in preparing for the coming fight. Kenshin hadn't seen a difficult fight in over a decade. Alden however, had seen war in the last week. If the boy proved as skilled as his eyes suggested it would at least be some level of preparation.

"Very well, this one will gather your swords so we can spar in the dojo; that I will." Kenshin replied, accepting Alden at least as a sparring partner. The legendary warrior felt somewhat refreshed to know a swordsman who could enjoy a spar. It was difficult these days to find a swordsman who hadn't either given up the sword or become lost in it. Alden smiled at the acceptance. The event was going to be one he long cherished. Growing up, Kenshin was something of a role model to Alden, even as a cartoon. This was the kind of opportunity few received.

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The afternoon was getting late but not nearly enough for the sun to be down yet; that event was still several hours off. By the time Alden and Kenshin returned from their talk, Dr. Gensai had already arrived to start cooking. Ayame and Suzume seemed to be having fun chasing around a butterfly while Sanosuke was asleep against a nearby tree. It was unfortunate for him that the butterfly decided to make his nose a perch. Unfortunately for Sano, it wasn't a perch for long as the two little girls tripped over him in their attempt to catch the beautiful creature.

"Hey, what, what's going on?" Sano asked rapidly as he was shaken from his sleep. Taking notice of the little girls who had tripped over him he shook his head at their antics. "You girls should be more careful when people are trying to sleep, you know."

"We're sorry."

"Yea, were sorry." The younger sister added shortly after the other as they got up and continued chasing the butterfly.

"Hey Kenshin, you're back." Sano called out, taking notice that he was heading to the shed next to the wrecked time machine. Receiving no replied Sanosuke decided to figure out what was going on and headed over to the shed where he found Kenshin grabbing a set of peculiar looking Katana. Each sheath was a matte black with a grey prism framing a flowing dragon around a sword at the center of the sheath. The hilt was solid in the same matte artificial leather material as the sheath. Taking careful grip on the two blades Kenshin exited the shed just as quickly as he entered, his visage the most serious Sanosuke had seen.

"Kenshin, what are you doing?" Sano asked, it wasn't like Kenshin to pick up a sword other than his own. He had no idea where these two came from unless they belonged to that Alden kid.

"This one is going to spar with Alden; that I am." Kenshin replied in a serious tone. Holding both blades in his left hand, Kenshin pulled one of them out just far enough to glimpse the actual edge of the swords. He could tell their level of craftsmanship was among the best he had seen. They would do well in this fight.

"The kid, what the hell do you mean you're going to fight that kid?" Sano replied, shocked that Kenshin would do such a thing. It didn't seem like normal Kenshin to fight when he didn't have to; that included friendly spars.

"I don't think you want to draw that yet, Kenshin." Alden warned the experienced warrior before he had a chance to examine the blade further.

"Kenshin knows what he's doing with a sword, I'd be more worried about you drawing it than him." Sano replied for his friend. The concept that Kenshin shouldn't draw a sword for his own safety was laughable, insulting really.

"Those aren't exactly normal swords." Alden answered, holding his hands out to receive them. Kenshin obliged, tossing them to the time-traveler who caught them with little effort. Each blade felt somewhat heavier than Alden remembered, likely due to his shrunken size. Still, they felt manageable. There were very few times he felt thankful for having his genetics manipulated. This was one such moment. Drawing his own blade Alden approached a nearby rock that was protruding out of the ground and with one swift motion cleaved it in two. The top half of the stone went flying while each smooth surface that touched the blade glowed a molten orange. This action of course had Sanosuke's jaw as wide as an apple. Kenshin however, was paying less attention to the fact the stone was cleaved, he was skilled enough to do the same. The aspect Kenshin paid more attention to was the fact that each half of the stone was melted so instantaneously.

With a twist Alden took ahold of the butt end of his hilt and removed the cap at the end, before removing a short silver rod and returning the cap to its resting place.

"It's a highly compressed matter-antimatter power cell, very difficult stuff to produce but surprisingly easy to utilize and very compact. It's quite experimental even in my time. Even a hundred years from now this little gem could supply electricity to the whole planet for at least a year. The blade is layered with a network of energy emitters capable of turning virtually anything into plasma. Most alloys that can resist it won't be invented for centuries." Alden explained while holding the tiny reactor between his thumb and forefinger.

"I knew it you are a sorcerer!" Sanosuke exclaimed, absolutely terrified at what happened to the rock. It was one thing cutting it in half, but melting it! Honestly, who did that? Unlike Sano's vibrant reaction, Kenshin's was a bit more reserved. He was surprised to be sure but the ramifications of a blade capable of melting stone that quickly was both fascinating and terrifying. Sure it would be handy against someone like Jinei but he wasn't sure if they actually wanted to kill the man. A weapon like that could easily cleave strait through weapon and wielder before they realized what happened.

"Weapons engineer actually, I originally intended on giving up black ops work once my education was paid for. Working with Wedge, God rest his soul, was too good an opportunity to pass up. When the war hit, well everything went downhill but I was able to perfect quite a bit of technology. It took nearly a dozen of these to power the time-machine." Alden explained further. Technology really had gone a long way over two centuries. To Kenshin this display more than anything solidified how real Alden's time-travel really was.

"I don't care what you _say_ you are, only a sorcerer can do something like that! Are you sure you want to fight this kid Kenshin? You saw what those swords can do. He'll melt right through you." Sano replied, now more concerned about melting than being turned into a toad.

"This one will be fine Sano, but I'm grateful anyway; I certainly am." On the contrary, Kenshin wanted to fight the boy even more now. He wanted to see where swordsmanship stood in two centuries. Did it still have its niche, as small as that may be? Or perhaps was it a mere shell of its former self.

"Don't worry so much Sano, I took the power cells out. They are nothing more than ordinary swords at the moment. I'm 38 by the way, so stop calling me kid." Alden tried to comfort the man who clearly feared whatever sorcery he felt Alden could bring to bear. It was stilly to watch a man with such strength cower in fear of a nonexistent threat. On the other hand, if this world existed then who knows what others might as well.

Once Alden secured his blades within his belt he set out with Kenshin into the dojo itself. The two squared off on opposite sides of the longest corners of the room, taking in each other's stance for likely techniques.

'_This is it, the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, of all the styles I've ever heard of, this is supposed to be the strongest. Few get to measure themselves against such a powerful opponent.'_ Alden thought as he took in Kenshin's stance. It was far more vivid than he could remember from the series. Still no familiar stance came to mind. Kenshin wasn't taking this seriously. The legendary swordsman had taken a basic middle stance, it was a common yet versatile stance. Seeing this Alden took a side stance, placing his blade horizontally to his right and angled slightly downward to hide the blade behind the hilt. The two measured each other's stances, each looking for a solid opening. Alden moved first knowing his opponent had no openings as far as he could see. Kenshin was a master of the highest order. The time-traveler would have to make one.

Exchanging a series of clashes it soon became evident how superior Kenshin's speed really was. Alden would have to make up for the gap with a solid defense. For every strike Alden attempted, Kenshin blocked or dodged with seemingly no effort and followed up with two or even three stronger attacks of his own. The latest clash threw Alden to the ground in a roll that took him a moment to recover from.

"If this is the limit of your ability you really don't belong in a fight against Jinei; that you do not." Kenshin stated as Alden wiped a small drip of blood from his forehead. The legendary swordsman hadn't even used any of the skills of the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu yet. Every bit of the match thus far had been basic techniques everyone started out with. He was mildly impressed with the strength Alden was capable of using in such a small body but if he couldn't make use of that strength then it was all for nothing.

"I'm just getting started." Alden replied, drawing Wedge's blade from its sheath. Wielding two swords was not Alden's preferred method of fighting but he was familiar with it. Though greatly reduced from what he was used to, the enhanced strength his modifications gave him, allowed him to wield each blade with all the swift precision of kodachi. With two blades he would drastically increase the number of attacks he could get in while increasing his defensive capabilities at the sacrifice of raw power.

Leaping from a crouched position Alden approached Kenshin far faster than any of his previous attacks. Wielding both blades in a cross slash Kenshin used a vertical drop, forcing both blades to the ground and allowing him to move into a thrusting position above Alden's broken attack. It was to Kenshin's pleasant surprise that Alden had the maneuverability to predict and shift his body out of the line of attack. Each twisting in the opposite direction, the two opponents spun into yet another clash. This maneuver gave Alden a small advantage with his second blade, allowing him to follow up with a second slash so Kenshin quickly leaped into the air to dodge.

Leaping off the sealing increasing speed well beyond any normal drop Kenshin dove towards Alden with his hilt near his head and his blade trailing along his path. The attack would hold a great deal of power, the kind that would be difficult to block so Alden decided it was best to avoid this attack entirely. Using every bit of his strength to leap out of the way the silver haired boy flipped into a crouched position just a few feet away. His choice was wise as the sheer force of the technique would have crushed the floorboards to the dojo; realizing this Kenshin was forced to cancel the attack and land. Neither opponent wanted to risk Ms. Kaoru's wrath.

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu: Ryu Tsui Sen, a difficult technique to dodge, that it is." Kenshin stated, sheeting his reverse blade sword.

"Was that a good enough warm-up for you? I think I'm finally getting used to this body." Alden replied with a smile, while stretching each arm lightly. Thinking back on the fight thus far, Kenshin's final attack was the fastest of the entire fight. Had the swordsman used that attack at the start of their match it would have been impossible for Alden to dodge. It had been a while since the boy seriously fought another swordsman. It was going to take him a while to get used to that type of battle.

"You are a better fighter than I thought, that you are. But you are not ready to defeat Jinei. We should stop if we are to have enough stamina for tonight's attack." Kenshin gave his analysis from the battle. Overall the legendary swordsman was impressed. Though not yet on his own level, Alden had good battle instincts and a solid foundation. For some reason it felt like the silver haired boy was unused to fighting other swordsman. Considering the world he came from he was likely more used to facing opponents with guns than anything. That in its own right was something to be impressed of.

"I know that. Fighting with you just now I was able to visualize the level of difference between him and myself. I can hold my own but I can't defeat him, not with a sword at any rate. It will be hard enough for you." Alden replied, knowing it would be much easier if he could use his technology. Even if he was large enough to wear his armor it would not be wise to demonstrate such a thing to anyone that could blab.

"Yes I do believe between the two of us we can offer Mr. Tani a reasonable level of protection, that we can."

"Oy Kenshin, you're not trying to leave me out of this are ya?" Sano shouted as he came closer to the red-haired samurai. Despite giving up his job as a fighter for hire he was itching for a good fight. The one he had just witnessed had given him a craving Sano had not expected. This bit of guard duty seemed the perfect opportunity. He never did get a proper answer though. Kaoru made sure of that.

"What the hell are you two doing in here? Were you fighting? Don't tell me you broke anything." Kaoru came running in and took in her surroundings. The floor was a mess and would need cleaning as the warriors apparently neglected to remove their dirty sandals. One thing she knew for sure, they would be cleaning up their mess before they got dinner. Oh yes, that was a certainty.

"Oh Sorry Ms. Kaoru, this one was only seeing if Alden would be ready to guard Mr. Tani tonight. He is surprisingly good, that he is." Kenshin replied with a lighthearted grin.

"You're not getting out of it that easy Kenshin. You're going to clean up this mess!" At Kaoru's words the two swordsmen looked down to their feet and realized their mistake. Though it wasn't wet and rainy outside they did have quite a long walk and carried with them a good bit of debris.

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It took nearly half an hour for Alden and Kenshin to clean up their mess. It didn't matter though, dinner was nearly done by the time they finished. Together they sat around the camp fire Dr. Gensai cooked their stew on and discussed the matter that was on all their minds. Their fight with Jinei would occur at midnight and they had to be ready. It was a well-established fact that Yahiko and Kaoru would not be joining them. Yahiko was too new to swordsmanship and Kaoru too gentle for a battle against such a hardened killer. Sanosuke, though much less skilled than Kenshin, was experienced as a fighter and would likely hold his own in battle. His stamina was second to none Kenshin had ever known and his willpower would hold out well against the Shin no Ippo.

Satisfied with those who would be participating Kenshin turned the conversation to Alden's blades. They were most peculiar things. At a distance they looked like any other sword of excellent craftsmanship. Upon close inspection however, one could tell the nearly invisible networks that Alden had mentioned earlier. Each blade was surprisingly light and well balanced. They were good weapons.

"Your blades are rather intricately made that they are. This one has never seen blades that have taken so little damage against a reverse blade sword" Kenshin stated while setting his bowl to the ground. He had examined the blades a short while ago. Both of them had the mark of a master craftsman in every inch of their creation. The metal was clearly of a very high grade and though their hilt looked used and warn; they were still as sharp as the day they were forged. Had Kenshin not seen what they could do first hand he would not have believed they had seen war.

"Like I said earlier, I was a weapons engineer. I only joined the military because they paid for my education. When they declared me unfit for combat, it's a long story for another time, they put me to work developing weapons for my former team. I was good at what I did and the war made me better." Alden saw the curious faces around the camp fire at the mention of being declared unfit for combat. It reminded him that he would need to gather the ingredients for the cure within the week. In ancient Japan it would be easiest to dilute it into daily doses in tea form. It was going to be difficult adjusting to such an archaic way of life.

"So you became a weapons dealer." Dr. Gensai surmised from the story. He was not a fan of weapons dealers. It was particularly difficult for him to swallow the time travel story but it was even more difficult to deny the capabilities of those two blades. Sure modern weapons provided him with plenty of patients but the world would be much better off without increasingly potent weapons of death.

"Hardly, I built and tested prototypes for my ops team. Most of them never went further than that; they were too difficult to mass produce. Originally I planned on joining an energy company. Life was not so kind." Alden hoped his explanation would ease the doctor's worries. The last thing he needed was to be on bad terms with the local medic. Truthfully there was a lot he could teach the man about modern medicine. The world needed more skilled healers, it always had.

"I don't know, I still think you trapped demons in those swords." Sanosuke commented, still very skeptical about this technology thing. Knowing him, the fighter would never get used to the idea.

"Even if I did, wouldn't it be better using them in a sword than letting them free in the world?" Sano opened his mouth to answer Alden's question but found himself without anything to say. Even Kenshin got a good hearty laugh out of that one.

"He's got you there Sano; that he does." The red-haired swordsman added, still laughing from the look on Sano's face.

"Hey, don't you abandon me Kenshin!"

"If you want I could try re-forging your Zanbato. I guarantee it will be demon free." Alden said with just a hint of a laugh in his voice. Sano seemed to be the only one who didn't get a laugh out of it.

"I would offer to make you one but I know you wouldn't accept it." Alden turned to Kenshin in a more serious tone. The red-haired swordsman looked at him curiously. There was something hidden in Alden's words. Kenshin knew what the boy meant, both literally and figuratively. Kenshin had scars that ran far deeper than the ones on his cheek. They were the reasons why he wielded his Sakabato, the reasons why he swore to never kill again. It would be impossible for Kenshin to accept such a blade.

"No, this one has no need for such a weapon, that I do not; but Sano would be grateful for one I think." Kenshin replied in a lighthearted tone. It was strange talking about weapons in this manner. They were always used to kill and that was the reality. Still, if Alden was right about the kinds of opponents they would come to face, then they would need whatever advantages they could muster.

"Come on, not you too. It's not like I could pay for something like that." Sano replied. Having given up his job as a fighter for hire it was hard for Sano to know what to do. For the most part he had been gambling in some of the more shady parts of town in an attempt to get at least some money. It was not exactly turning out to be fruitful.

"Hey, I've got to come up with some kind of job around here." Alden replied knowing he was going to be stuck here for a while. He had to make a choice. He could avoid using his power cells and spend the next few years attempting to fix a potentially unfixable time-machine. Otherwise, he could decide to live here and give up on his own world. Considering how people would react to his use of such futuristic technology he was probably better off with option A. That of course would take money and a lot of it.

"You mean we won't be adding another freeloader to the table?" Kaoru asked hopefully; it was hard enough paying the bills as it was. For the most part she was living off of her former earnings as a dojo master. That was quickly running dry with so many free loaders. After the fake Battousai incident she lost all her students and only gained Yahiko a few days later. Unfortunately, Yahiko had no parents and no way of paying. It was going to be difficult until she could find some paying students.

"If you don't mind helping me out for a while I should be able to start making knives and such once I gather the equipment. I might be able to forge for the police if I build a reputation." Alden surmised. Bladesmith was probably the closest job he was going to find to his former profession. Sure there were engineers in this time period but one man advancing technology by centuries would be quite abnormal.

"That would be wonderful, at least you're offering to be helpful, not at all like these lazy bums." Kaoru replied, pointing her thumb in the general direction of Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Yahiko.

"Hey were not lazy we just out of work." Sano replied, offended by the remark.

"Yea, it's not like anyone would give me a job." Yahiko added, mostly referring to his age. Granted in this era most people didn't care about how old someone was, so long as they could do the job. That being the case Kaoru wasn't exactly satisfied with the boy's answer and bonked him on the head with her first.

"What was that for!" Yahiko screamed but calmed down, slightly embarrassed when everyone simply laughed.

"There is a good question though, why don't you have jobs? Without students, Kaoru can't exactly support you all forever. " Alden asked, it was a question that perplexed him since he watched the show. How did they manage to survive through all those battles without any job? Sure Yahiko got that one job at the Akabeko restaurant for a short time but that was only a short time. Sanosuke was the first to try and say something but he lost it about as quickly as he opened his mouth. Meanwhile Yahiko could only think about his time as a pickpocket. That was certainly an occupation he couldn't go back to.

"You know, it would be easier if Kenshin and Sano just joined the local police. I'm sure they would be accommodating. Hell, they might let you make a special squad." Alden proposed. It's not like they could mooch off of Kaoru forever, especially since she had no students. If they could actually get a decent number of students they could probably act as teachers. Quite frankly, with Kenshin's skill he could probably learn the whole style in short order.

"Right, me an officer. You're funny brat, like Kenshin would ever join the police after turning down a job in the military, eh Kenshin?" Sano replied with a laugh while nudging his friend to agree. It came much to his surprise that Kenshin did not respond, but merely looked down at the ground in thought.

"That's not funny Kenshin, stop acting like you're actually considering it." Sano continued with a hesitant laugh.

"Well I think you should consider it. We need the money and you two keep running into everyone that causes trouble anyway." Kaoru knew all too well how little money she actually had. The number of freeloaders at her dojo seemed to do nothing but multiply as the weeks went on. If they couldn't find some kind of job she would likely be forced to start selling things just to keep everyone fed.

"You're already going to be helping them every time they find an opponent they can't handle. You can't spend the rest of your life running from your past, Kenshin. It's only going to keep coming back to haunt you." Alden added to his argument. Still he knew this was the sort of think Kenshin would need time to think about. The samurai had spent years wondering, running from the man the revolution made him. The Kenshin everyone around the fire knew, the one who swore to never kill again, he was a completely different man to the Battousai. Still the Battousai was a darkness in Kenshin's heart that would not be easily vanquished.

A moment of silence took hold as night began to fall. Unable to find any words that could bring meaning to his feelings Kenshin stood and slowly walked away from the campfire.

"Hey Kenshin, where are you…" Kaoru started but Sanosuke stopped her.

"He'll be fine, sometimes a man just needs time to think." As gruff as Sano could be it was amazing how he could have his occasional moments of insight. Though Sano was too young to actually participate in the war he it left him with scars that ran deep. Kenshin's clearly ran far deeper.

"The war scarred him deeply, you can't possibly imagine the things he saw." Alden added, mostly for Kaoru and Yahiko's sake. They didn't know war like Kenshin did. Few, even among soldiers knew exactly what Kenshin felt. To kill so many in such a brutal way as with a sword, it placed a heavy toll on a soldier's soul.

"If you knew that then why'd you bring it up?" Yahiko nearly screamed. He felt like Alden was trying to play with Kenshin's emotions.

"We can't let him drown in his scars forever. Unless he accepts his past for what it is he will never defeat the enemies you have to face, not as the Kenshin you know. I can't know for sure, but I feel that Kenshin becoming officer would help him overcome more than you can imagine." Alden replied while stroking his chin.

"Well he couldn't be worse than those police swordsmen the other day." Dr. Gensai added, having read about them in the news. It was terrible business, what happened. A group of swordsmen were causing trouble in the market. When someone objected they charged them with obstruction of justice and attempted to carry out a public execution. Kenshin stopped them of course but it was a dreadful ordeal none the less.

"I imagine that he would be a light in the darkness to many who don't know what to do with themselves. If anyone can show them a better way, it's Kenshin. They say a man learns far more buy teaching than studying."

"Well I can't argue with ya there. He does have an impact on people." Sano replied, knowing full well how much he had changed himself since meeting the legendary swordsman. If more people acted like Kenshin the world would be a far better place. Kaoru soon looked to the sky and took note of how dark it had become.

"Shouldn't you guys be heading to guard Mr. Tani?" Kaoru asked, knowing the mansion was at least an hour's walk beyond the other end of town. They would likely need a briefing when they arrived so they couldn't delay too long.

"I'll grab Kenshin. He might need someone to knock a little sense into him." Sanosuke stated while placing his hands in his pockets. With a nod Alden agreed and took off towards the mansion.

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**Chapter Notes**

For starters, thanks for the reviews. I'm glad so many of you are loving the rewrite so far.

To Dark Lord Of Ori, I understand where you're coming from on the length issue. It is a tricky thing to balance. That is definitely something I want to avoid when I do cut a chapter in half. I definitely don't want to sacrifice continuity for shortness. When it's getting close and near an end point I certainly will avoid the cut, however if it looks like the chapter has a ways to go at that point, well it is what it is I guess. I will keep that in mind though.

In case anyone is wondering about Kenshin's speech mannerisms. I will be writing his dialogue as a bit of a hybrid between the English and Japanese anime depictions. I really like the way he often refers to himself as "this one" in the Japanese

Now for the interesting news.

At first I didn't want to break this story into multiple 'books' for quite a while but as I wrote this chapter I started getting very attached to this version of the Kenshin universe and realized that I could make it just as long as I intended the star wars universe to be. Still I really wanted to get into the Star Wars universe like in the original.

With the path the Kenshin universe is taking I really do want to flesh it out into its own story now that I see where I can go with it. So I've decided to break the story into a few 'books,' one and maybe two universes per 'book.' This will allow me to fully explore the Kenshin universe without making it come to a forced conclusion. Since I already have both in the works, it will also allow me to get strait into the Star Wars universe on schedule.

Think of it this way, I was going to bring the Kenshin universe to a close this chapter and start Star Wars next chapter with a bit of a summary and the occasional flashback here and there. Now you can continue where I was going to start the star wars universe in the next book while actually getting to see most of what happened in the Kenshin universe. These two will be written simultaneously though Book 2 will flow more quickly because I have more of it fleshed out at the moment.

It's a bit weird, I know but most stories aren't as long as this will probably end up anyway. At the moment I'm fairly confident at the moment that the Kenshin world alone will break the 100k word mark. The original story would have broke the 300k mark, had I posted another chapter.

I will be changing this story's listing accordingly, as a Kenshin fic with a Star Wars crossover due to the nature of the second book . Each following book will be listed as a crossover between the current universe of the book and the previous world.

In a few days I will be posting the first chapter of The False Apocalypse – Rise of the Guardians. It will begin immediately after the events of this universe. Again I will be writing both of these simultaneously.


	5. Chapter 05 - Hitokiri

**The False Apocalypse **

**Book 1: A New Beginning**

**Chapter Five**

**Hitokiri**

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the worlds or characters from the crossovers. If I did I would be working on them and not this. The original characters and world in the first chapter are however of my own creation. Noticeable dialogue this chapter is very similar to episode six of Rurouni Kenshin.

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Mr. Tani's mansion was a large and lavish building. On the outside it was made of large white stones while the inside was highly reminiscent of a wealthy plantation home. Between large grandfather clocks and extravagant chandeliers it was a picturesque place to host high ranking dignitaries. Tonight however the mansion was overrun with police and hired mercenaries. Beneath the full moon, the courtyard was well guarded and the bright moonlight would make a sneaky assassination difficult. From what the guards knew about their target however, a silent assassination was unlikely.

Jinei Udou was the kind of man who enjoyed battle far more than he should. He loved to soak his body in the blood of his enemies. More than that he reveled in their fear and enjoyed the smell of death in the air. By all accounts Jinei was a sick individual, lost in a war long over. To make matters worse the man was skilled enough to make his sick dreams a reality, the money was merely a sweet bonus.

Among the countless guards posted around the perimeter Kenshin, Sanosuke, and Alden were guarding a rather large ballroom. This ballroom was currently home to nearly as many guards as the rest of the facility, and for good reason. Mr. Tani himself, a high ranking official was seated in the center of the large room. Though he was surrounded by most of the guards they were in fact peons compared to the sheer power Jinei could wield. Quite honestly Kenshin had full confidence that even Sanosuke could defeat all of them if he really wanted to. Some of the more skilled officers might give him some trouble but the mercenaries weren't exactly menacing.

Simply looking at how each person in the room held themselves told Kenshin everything he needed to know about the overall situation. Even with how much his skill had slacked since the war the swordsman had no doubt that he could kill every man in the room within five seconds if he were in Jinei's position. Knowing what Alden had told him however, Jinei would want to saver the battle. The man would likely get a kick out of the mercenaries pissing themselves in fear. The Shin no Ippo was the perfect tool for that end. Such an ability was perfect for clearing out the trash. Only opponents of respectable skill could withstand the technique's paralysis.

Knowing exactly how the man would enter the room was valuable information. Alden remembered clearly how Jinei killed is way through the mansion before entering the ballroom through the main window. It was regretful that so many would die tonight. However, they needed to trap Jinei if they were to have any chance at defeating him. Thankfully it was only 11:30 when preparations were nearly complete. Knowing who their opponent was and his most valuable skill, Kenshin made sure to tell everyone how to break it. The red haired swordsman emphasized this point to the police who were present. While they did not have enough skill to defeat this assassin in a battle of swords, the ability to break this spell and shoot him would raise the odds greatly in their favor.

"You're sure Sano knocked some since into you? Even for a fight like this, you're too serious Kenshin." Alden asked, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. While focus was a good thing, they didn't need their minds wondering elsewhere.

"I noticed you put that cell back into your swords." Kenshin replied ignoring the comment, the distinct lack of his overly formal speech pattern showed just how serious the swordsman was.

"We're going to need every advantage we can get."

"I thought you didn't want anyone seeing that." It's not like that sort of technology should exist in this time period. If Alden used it, there would be questions.

"What can I say, Sano gave me an idea. He seems rather convinced that I'm a sorcerer. If it comes down to it I'll play it up." Kenshin couldn't help but grin a bit at that idea. While all the sorcery he had come in contact with happened to be tricks of some sort; he was not beyond the idea that it existed. While that kind of action would draw attention to the young swordsman it would be a valuable asset. It would also be more believable than the truth about where he came from.

"This one would prefer that we take him alive, that I would." Kenshin replied, concerned for what the blade would could do to a man. He wasn't quite sure what this 'plasma' was but he could see that it clearly melted through solid stone. That was not the sort of thing people tended to survive.

"As much as I would like to agree with you, he's far too dangerous. Unless we blind him, there's not a prison on the planet that could hold him." While the silver haired boy had a point, but Kenshin had an oath to uphold. More importantly, if they killed Jinei; what made them any better than him. Sure their opponent massacred people indiscriminately but murder was still murder and this room was full of murders.

"It may not be possible but this one would prefer that we try." Kenshin reiterated, he was clearly not going to let up on this issue.

"Then you better beat him before I can make a move. If I find an opening, the only way he's going to live is blind and armless." Alden replied coldly. He wasn't a naive little boy anymore. If his time in black ops hadn't changed that then the war did. Kenshin did not respond except for a nod of acceptance. It was better than the alternative. Once again Kenshin became very serious, only this time he wasn't thinking about his past; his mind was now entirely focused on how to defeat Jinei as quickly as possible.

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Midnight, the designated time was now approaching quickly and everyone in Mr. Tani's mansion was on edge. Only a few minutes remained before Jinei's attack would begin and even with all the warnings only the strongest present were convinced that too many people would die tonight. Sanosuke returned to Kenshin's side barely five minutes before the clock would strike. The former brawler had spent most of his time warning the police and guards about the Shin no Ippo. Unfortunately, few took his advice seriously. In their minds, such a technique was impossible. If Alden's predictions were right they would soon been in for a rude awakening. On the other hand that experience would likely not last very long. Unless they realized what was happening and used their own inner strength to break free they would never feel anything again.

"Well I did what I could Kenshin, but those bastards are too stubborn." For all the time Sanosuke had spent trying to keep as many people alive as possible, he now felt that it was for nothing.

"That's alright Sano, I didn't expect many of them to listen anyway, that I did not." Most of the guards were here for money; they didn't care if Jinei were a present or a supposed god, so long as they got paid. The police on the other hand were here because they had to be. While they were the most likely to believe the truth they also had a right to feel skeptical. The Shin no Ippo's ability was too close to magic for many to believe such a thing were possible. Perhaps Alden was right, sometimes people can only believe what they see with their eyes. At that they will only believe the most logical reason behind what they see. If something is too drastically out of the ordinary then magic is the only remaining conclusion. After all, only the most outlandish writers of today even thought of something so strange as time travel.

"Well they're a bunch of idiots not to. You're the Battousai for crying out loud, if they won't listen to your advice who should they listen to?" Sano couldn't believe how stupid they were being. Here's the Battousai everyone, widely known to be the strongest and most knowledgeable swordsman in Japan. Here he is telling you to be careful, and do you listen, no?

"Just remember, he's going to come through that window. If you don't mind Sano, I would prefer that you protect Mr. Tani and allow Kenshin to do most of the fighting. We all have our roles to play." Alden reiterated for the third time tonight.

"Yea, yea, I get ya." Sano brushed the comment off. Sure he would follow the plan since Kenshin thought it was a good one but the brat didn't need to be so repetitive.

While Sano complained about idiocy of the local guards, Mr. Tani was getting rather fidgety in his chair. For all his protection he still didn't feel safe. As such he reiterated how much he was paying, especially to the man who took this assassin down. The clock soon struck midnight and as it rang each of its twelve tones in otherwise silence. Though there were no immediate signs of the assassin's presence the ballroom's atmosphere grew thick with nervousness. When the clock's tolls came to a defining end the entire facility was still with anticipation.

This silence was so encompassing that several mercenaries came to the conclusion that the threat was nothing more than an elaborate hoax. One such merc made the fatal mistake of wondering too close to the window they had been warned to stay away from.

"Get away from there you…" Kenshin tried warning the young man but it was too late, in a burst of red the mercenary was separated from his head. Jinei, stood tall in a gray yukata and a straw hat that sat barely above his strangely colored eyes.

"Heheheheheheh. Eehehehehehee! Well here they are, worthless little bugs with no lives… 1… 2… ehehehe, just fifteen of you? There are less than I thought there'd be." Jinei laughed menacingly as he stood on the windowsill, counting the number of toys he had to play with. In all, it was rather disappointing. His last few jobs had quite a few more guards to deal with. The ones in the courtyard had provided only slightly more fight that usual. He was surprised to find even one opponent with the strength of will and presence of mind to fight the Shin no Ippo.

"Go get him! Whoever kills him will be paid five times and will be made an officer in the army!" Mr. Tani decided that if no one was going to make a move then he would have to through money at the problem. Kenshin however wasn't going to have any of that and quickly unleashed a Battoujutsu as the mercenaries began to charge the assailant.

"None of you will run!" Jinei commanded as he unleashed his Shin no Ippo as Kenshin drew close. In an instant, a flash filled the ball room and shifted the atmosphere dramatically. Much to the assassin's shock, not everyone in the room became immediately paralyzed. His greatest threat was approaching at an alarming rate. The sheer speed of this red haired opponent was unlike anything he had seen since the height of the war. In fact, it was beyond anything he had seen even then.

Kenshin's reverse blade sword streaked through the air so fast that Jinei barely had any time to react after the shocking failure of his signature technique. He was however able to mount an adequate defense by drawing his kodachi from its sheathe. It was a close save, as Jinei barely got his blade half way out when the force from the clash scooted him along the floor, and pinned him against the wall near the main window. He grinned sadistically.

"Finally a worthy opponent!" Jinei exclaimed in excitement at the prospect of fighting someone behind such an opportunistic attack. With but a glance he recognized the man with red hair and a cross shaped scar on the left cheek. Focusing his strength he forced Kenshin's sword away from him, opening an escape route "Himura the Battousai, your skills have fallen if you couldn't kill me with your signature technique." From of Kenshin's blade, Jinei rounded his way through the room, returning his kodachi to its sheathe as he went. "Tell me Battousai, how is it your blade has grown so dull." Noticing the few warriors within the room who seemed to be fighting or breaking free of his technique, the swordsman hit them with another, stronger variant of his Shino no Ippo.

Again Kenshin did not seem to be affected by the technique but the thing that astonished Jinei even more was how effectively a muscular man in white was fighting his enhanced technique. It would take him a moment to break free but having two strong opponents in the same room was a rare treat. What he did not notice however was the fact that Alden was nearly free himself. The silver haired boy had been playing it especially still to draw attention away from himself to create an eventual opening. He was paying especially close attention to Jinei's eyes and battle presence each time the assassin used that frightening technique.

"These are times of peace Jinei. There's no need to Hitokiri like us anymore. Open your eyes!" Kenshin commanded seriously, his focus unwavering.

"Do my ears deceive me? Humph, I can't believe the Battousai, the legendary manslayer is saying this. You're but a shell of your former self." Jinei replied, unable to believe what he was hearing. Of all the manslayers from the revolution, the Battousai was the last one he thought would give in to such pacifistic nonsense. It seemed that it was up to him to bring back the manslayer buried within. Yes, that was it. This man wasn't the Battousai, now if only here was a way to bring that legend back to his former glory; that more than anything would be the ultimate fight. Jinei would get no satisfaction from killing this shell of a legend.

Having found another opening Kenshin blurred forward and clashed with Jinei yet again. Back and forth their swords fought for dominance in an explosion of speed. Though Jinei was marginally slower than Kenshin as he was, the legendary manslayer was gradually gaining speed and widening the gap. Every time the assassin thought he would land a hit, the Battousai would vanish from sight and strike from another angle altogether. The acrobatic capability of the manslayer was a testament to why he was such a legend. No normal man could go from a defensive positon to flipping over his opponent's head with such ease. In one such move, Kenshin cleaved Jinei's straw hat in two. Only a few moves later, Jinei's Yukata became split in four separate places while Kenshin's was only split once above the shoulder.

Foreknowledge of the assassin's fighting style was invaluable to the current battle. Had Kenshin been unsure about the skills Jinei would be using, he would have been stunned if only for a moment each time the assassin used his Shin no Ippo. It was actually rather frightening how effortlessly the skill was woven into his fighting style. A lesser swordsman would have been ended quite a while ago. Yet again Kenshin was hit with the technique but it had no noticeable effect as Jinei slashed at Kenshin horizontally. Quicker than could be followed with the human eye, the red haired swordsman leaped so high he was able to kick off from the ceiling. Initiating a Ryutsuisen – Dragon Hammer Flash, Kenshin swung his blade downward with all the added force of his falling body. This strike yielded so much force that Jinei barely held his grip in blocking the technique.

"It seems I underestimated you Battousai. You should feel honored, I will show you the ultimate form of the Shin no Ippo." Holding his blade before his eyes, Jinei took focus on his own reflection, confident that his regular use of the technique was keeping the peons at bay while he enjoyed his bout with a legend. Meanwhile Kenshin had to take a moment to recover from his previous technique. He sheathed his blade to prepare for another Battoujutsu.

"With this you will…!" Just as Jinei was about to activate his technique he felt a weak but familiar energy directed his way as he caught a flash of silver within his peripheral vision. A young boy was heading his way with a Battoujutsu of admirable speed. The foolish child, if he hadn't come here tonight he might have actually become a decent swordsman. Confident that he could beat the child's blade way, Jinei attempted to smash the oncoming sword into the ground so he could follow up by gutting the kid with his kodachi. His eyes soon widened in fear as he saw the child's blade effortlessly melt through his own. It took all his years of battle experience to lean his body back enough to avoid the devastatingly powerful blade. Unsure what the hell just happened Jinei reacted purely on instinct and leaped through the window from where he entered. The remnants of his primary blade hit the floor with a clan that drew the attention of every living being in the room; its glowing severed edge, the focus of all who were present.

Kenshin stood still in shock that Jinei had leaped out the window and sprinted away from the building. That action was the complete opposite of what he would have expected of the battle hungry man. He could only conclude that the assassin's survival instincts kicked in the moment his blade was severed. It would be impossible for such a man to enjoy a battle with his traditional weapon severed.

"Shoot him you idiots, Kill him! KILL HIM!" Alden rushed to the window and shouted to the few surviving guards that stood outside. Hearing only one shot go off Alden leaped out the window to pursue the assassin. Shocked that anyone, much less a grown man and a child could survive jumping from such a height, several guards rushed to the window to see if anyone survived. All they saw was the silver haired boy knocking down an officer and taking his revolver before vanishing into the forest beyond the property. They soon saw a red streak fly over their heads and along the path of the other two swordsmen.

Now realizing that they were free of the oppressive energy that restrained them the police chief walked over to the severed blade and picked it up as Sanosuke took the same path as Kenshin. Examining the molten cut at the edge of the blade, the officer could only stare in awe at what he'd seen. Somehow that boy's sword had cleaved through Jinei's with such force that it had latterly melted the assassin's blade. There were legends that spoke of swordsmen capable of cleaving through steel but this was on another level altogether.

"Anyone mind explain what the fuck just happened." One mercenary stated breathlessly. Another merely swallowed audibly while Mr. Tani collapsed into his chair. Somehow he had survived, he thought. These manslayers really were frightening beings.

"The boy's a sorcerer. You saw what he did!" Yet another mercenary stated in fear as he pointed to the blade remnant in the police chief's hand.

"I don't know about any sorcerers but you have my word, I will get to the bottom of this." The officer replied, firmly griping the severed blade. There was something strange about that boy and he was determined to find out what.

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"_That boy's sword is far too dangerous. What the hell even was that?" _Jinei thought to himself as he looked at the severed remains of his blade. It still held a molten glow, just bright enough to see beneath the moonlight. Never in his years as a swordsman had he seen such a thing. The boy's overall skill was not bad but nothing he hadn't seen and decimated before but that blade was something to be feared. Was the boy some kind of sorcerer? Perhaps he had the blade enchanted by one. _"If I could get ahold of that blade I would be unstoppable."_ In the silence of the night it was easy for Jinei to tell that he was being followed. The steps were light but powerful. At first he thought it might be the Battousai, considering his light stature but it was just too light. The boy was following him, he knew it.

Looking down to his abdomen Jinei could feel that something was not normal at his stomach. His yukata was seared along a cut and trying to burn so he patted it out. Getting a closer look, Jinei could tell that the boy's blade had just barely cut into his chest. He could smell the burning flesh of his cauterized skin. That boy had come closer to killing him than any assassin at the height of the Bakumatsu. Jinei grinned, and laughed in anticipation, now he had two battles he could enjoy to the fullest. If his fight with the Battousai lasted much longer he knew the legend would have returned. In some ways this was better.

Jinei fled through the trees, sprinting in ever changing directions to throw off his followers. He needed to get a proper katana if he was going to fight either swordsman. If he could lose them, he could confront the Battousai tomorrow while he was alone. Maybe he could kidnap someone close to the legend to draw his true self out once again. As to the boy… that blade would be difficult to combat. He recalled that the boy had another on his belt. If he could steal one of them then they could have a fight worthy of Hitokiri!

While the assassin fled and thought of his future actions, he nearly missed the distinct sound of a firing pistol. The distinct feeling of lead ripping through flesh tore through Jinei's right calf. It was only a flesh wound but blood flowed freely as Jinei ignored the pain and continued his flight. That brat was more persistent than he thought. While the wound wasn't life threatening it would slow him down.

"_At this rate the brat's going to catch up."_ Jinei thought to himself as he considered turning to cut the boy down before he became even more of a danger. A sizzling sound caught his ears just before the all-encompassing crash of limbs snapping and leafs falling. Leaping out of the path of a falling tree Jinei found himself trapped between a burning tree and a stone cliff above a small creek.

"What's wrong Jinei, I thought you liked challenging fights?" Alden taunted as he marched forward, the tip of his blade scarring the ground with red flames that smoldered in place. Alden's face gave off a frightening shadow above the flames that spread far less than they should. Were the ground not so moist there would have been a rampant wildfire. For the first time in Jinei's life as a swordsmen he felt a twinge of fear. He always thought he would go out in the blink of an eye at the hands of a vastly superior swordsman. Never before had he imagined himself fleeing and wounded at the mercy of some kind of blade wielding sorcerer. Still, there was a part of him that wanted to smile at the face the boy was making.

"You're more of a monster than I had ever dreamed of being." Jinei commented, in awe of the fire this boy seemed to wield. He had no idea how untrue that statement really was but it made no difference.

"Monsters like you need to be put DOWN!" Alden shouted, charging forward with a slash as Jinei attempted to guard himself by raising his kodachi in defense. Caught between fear and misplaced excitement the assassin watched as his seared arm hit the ground along with his cleaved blade. His remaining stub burned unlike any wound he had ever received, though there was little pain; that had all been numbed by the atomization of his nerves.

"Alden!" Kenshin screamed as he entered the smoldering forest cove just in time to see Jinei's flaming head falling to the ground. Noticing his failure Kenshin sighed and looked away but soon regretted his decision when he noticed the silver haired boy hacking away at the assassin's dead body.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kenshin demanded as he rushed to the boy's side, grabbing the blade at the hilt to prevent any further desecration of the dead.

"Justice." Alden screamed with a distorted grin on his face. Something was wrong with the boy, Kenshin could see that but he need answers so he pressed for them.

"He was injured!"

"He was a murderer!" Alden screamed, saliva dripping from his frenzied face. Knowing nothing else to do Kenshin slapped the boy as hard across the face as he could. The strike was so strong it brought blood to the boy's cheek and his own palm. It was regrettable but the boy couldn't stay like this. It's like he went into some kind of berserker state. It was worse than when Kenshin slipped into his own battle persona.

Stunned by the traumatic impact by an ally, Alden was suddenly shaken from his frenzied state. In utter shock and realization at what he'd done, the boy could only stare at his hands in fear of himself.

"What have I done? Oh god, it's happening again…" Alden muttered below his breath, utterly terrified at what this meant.

His other self was resurging. 

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**Chapter Notes**

Again, thanks for the reviews. I'm shocked at how positive they are compared to the old story.

At first I was wondering how I was going to draw out this fight enough to make it into a proper chapter but then I realized how long it had been since Alden had taken his last dose of cure serum. Utterly maniacal isn't he? There will be questions, there will be lies, but there will be answers.

I've got to say, I'm very glad I decided to continue the Kenshin universe. :D


	6. Chapter 06 - Way of the Tea

**The False Apocalypse **

**Book 1: A New Beginning**

**Chapter Six**

**Way of the Tea**

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the worlds or characters from the crossovers. If I did I would be working on them and not this. The original characters and world in the first chapter are however of my own creation.

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The night of Jinei's death proved to be one of the most traumatic Alden had ever experienced. Shortly after Kenshin arrived to snap the boy out of his frenzied state, Sanosuke arrived with a few officers following not far behind. As promised there were questions. It was hard to keep quiet about a boy who could cut through Japanese steel like lard. Though Alden shook, terrified at how over the top he had gone, they had to ask anyway. The answer they were given was that the swords were a gift from his father, a man who was a master in the ways of magic. They were told that the katana were enchanted to melt anything the blade touched. While this satisfied the initial questions it did not solve the position the police chief was in. Too many people had seen what Alden had done.

The sword ban in Japan was absolute. Only police, military officials, and the hired guards of important bureaucrats were exempt. The hired guards were not however, permitted to carry their weapons in public. While this Alden was a friend of the Battousai, he was not any of these things. At first the police chief intended on overlooking it but the sheer power of these blades and the ruckus they had caused made it impossible to ignore. The mutilated state of Jinei did not help matters. Until he could get authorization from his superiors, Alden would have to be arrested and his blades confiscated.

Having seen what Alden was capable of, Kenshin considered letting them take the boy. As useful as the foreknowledge could be, and as friendly as he initially seemed, the kid clearly had a very dark side to himself. That was when he thought back to the words Alden said after he snapped out it. Kenshin could see how much like himself the boy truly was. Somehow he knew that this state Alden entered was related to the reason he attempted to travel back in time.

"If you could, this one would very much like to talk to Mr. Yamagata; that I most certainly would." Kenshin asked with a formal bow.

"Mr. Himura I'm surprised you would use your connections to…" The police chief started, offended by the idea that Kenshin would use his friendship with the Lord of the Imperial army to manipulate the law. They were already giving him considerable leeway as it was by allowing Kenshin to carry his sword without any official rank. The police chief could accept this because, as Lord Yamagata said a few days ago; Kenshin was a hero of the revolution. It would be difficult to expand that leeway much further. Concessions would have to be made.

"This one is not planning on using any connections; that I am not. This one wishes to create a special task force to deal with people like this Kurogasa; I merely wish to speak to him about that. Still, this boy as you've called him will be one of my most valuable comrades; that he most certainly will." Kenshin replied with a smile, explaining the gist of his intentions to talk with the lord.

"I –well – I – very well. Gather the body." The chief commanded his men who had now put out the remaining fires. They were thankful that it had rained recently or the fires would have been far worse. "I will see what I can do Mr. Himura." The chief added with a slight bow. He wasn't sure how quickly he could contact such an important person but after their recent contact it would be too difficult to at least send a letter through.

With that the chief gathered his men and left the area, leaving Kenshin and his friends to themselves

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The next day, Kaoru's dojo was filled with concern for their new friend. The previous night had brought little sleep to Alden who was tormented by nightmares. Clearly unable to get any truly restful sleep they allowed him to get as much rest as possible. That time did allow Kenshin to explain to Kaoru his intentions with this new task force. Kenshin wanted much more than to end the legal gray area of his carrying a sword. He explained how without this, Alden would have likely been arrested for carrying a sword. The truth was, that was only a pretense. Having seen what Alden could do, it was too dangerous to let him be without being part of the government in some way. Kenshin got though this thanks to his former battlefield relationship with Lord Yamagata. Were this matter up to the police chief, Alden would have likely been left alone unless he carried his blades in public. However, with the number of people who saw him do something as dangerous as 'magic,' he might as well be walking around armed with spells. Even with the explanation of enchanted swords, there was no way to tell if he could do such a thing with his bare hands.

The simple truth of the matter was that without some specific assurances Alden would be considered a danger to society.

Kaoru and Yahiko of course thought this was ridiculous but that was the nature of politics. The world was ruled by acceptance. No matter how much power a government amasses, they rule only by the fact that most people accept their rule. This acceptance can be out of either love or fear but that acceptance must exist. Most people fear what they do not understand. A powerful swordsman is understandable. A sorcerer, no matter how many people believe they exist, is a thing to be feared. The truth behind their intentions is irrelevant in the face of public opinion. Put that power in the hands of the government however…

"You saw how he lost it, Kenshin. I don't see how ya think ya can trust him." Sanosuke commented having listened to the entirety of Kenshin's plans for this new taskforce. If the boy couldn't keep his mind when he had the upper hand then how did Kenshin expect the kid to help further the idea of not killing?

"Something happened to him last night, of that this one is certain." Kenshin replied as he turned a few fish above a campfire. Lunch was getting close and they couldn't let Alden rest much longer, not if he was going to keep his strength. Somehow he knew they would all need as much strength as possible in the near future. The way Alden talked about difficult opponents… it seemed like a number of them would come sooner than later.

"I know something happened, he ripped the guy apart and lit him on fire!" Sano reminded the red haired swordsman. Even if Jinei was a sadistic bastard, nobody deserved to go that violently.

"That's not what I meant Sano. The genocide from his world, there had to be some reason behind it. This one can't shake the feeling that this is related; that I most certainly cannot."

"Then you would be right." Alden appeared at the doorstep to the dojo with Kaoru just behind him. There were dark rings around his eyes and his voice was more guttural than should be natural for a boy of his size. He was clearly exhausted from the nightmares. Kenshin remembered a name he kept saying though the night; he could only assume that this Zereth was the brother Alden had mensioned.

"Well you better start explaining before my foot works its way up your ass." There really was a deep trust issue between Alden and Sano. Honestly, there was a trust issue between Sano and anything remotely related to modern technology.

"The fish is almost done so we have time; that we do." Kenshin tried to diffuse the situation and provide a calmer environment for this particular discussion. In his experience serious conversations were best held over a meal. When they weren't they tended to become too serious for his liking. Soon Yahiko came out from training in the dojo and joined them around the campfire where Kenshin started handing out the fish on sticks.

"You of all people should know that no war starts without a reason. My brother was a geneticist, a man that could manipulate the human body. He could do anything from changing people's natural hair color to their lifespan or their physical strength. He believed we could out evolve all the world's greatest problems."

"When you say out evolve…" Kaoru started but was unsure of how to finish her question.

"He thought we could adjust our bodies to survive harsher climates with less food. He was a genius but as insane as they came. An event was coming that would change the world's climate for a long time; so the world agreed with him. We were fools. We became stronger but at a terrible cost." Alden explained, looking down at his hand as he squeezed his fist so tight it turned pale.

"Whatever he did had a side effect." Kenshin surmised. He was starting to see where this was going. That truly was a terrible fate for a planet; for every living being to suffer from the very thing that was supposed to save you.

"Worse than you could imagine. Everyone has these violent alternate personalities now. They're trying to take over the world, using violence to bring out as many as they can. I created a serum to suppress it but my dose is wearing off. As long as I stay away from any fighting I should be fine for another week. Without it, I'm going to be a danger to everyone."

"I told ya there was something off with him, Kenshin. You should never trust a sorcerer." Sanosuke stated, satisfied that he had been right from the beginning. Who else but sorcerers could manipulate people like that?

"I can always talk to Dr. Gensai. I'm sure he's got lots of herbs you can use." The doctor was always helping Kaoru and her family. She had seen his store rooms; he hand countless medicinal herbs in stock. She wouldn't be surprised if his stock was the largest in a week's ride.

"It's certainly a start but I doubt he'll have everything I need." Alden replied, knowing many of the ingredients had to be stolen from modern pharmacies. Thankfully near the end, he had to start gathering local herbs as part of the ingredients. It was simply becoming too dangerous to simply raid a normal pharmacy.

"I'll show you the way later, it's not that far from here." Kaoru offered with a smile. To her, it was only thanks to him that Kenshin even considered creating some special police position. If they could get the details worked out with Lord Yamagata then their money troubles would truly be over. From what he said to her, he wanted to create a police core that used reverse blade swords. The red haired swordsman also felt that the principles of a sword to protect would fit perfectly with his ideal organization. Together they would create a force capable of protecting the public without resorting to unnecessary force, a force that could shine as an example to the whole country. After all if the police swordsman they met the other day were any standard to go by, Yahiko would have likely been killed for his history as a pickpocket. It was sad to imagine how many other children around the country were in a similar situation.

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It was nearly an hour later when everyone had eaten their fill and talked till it settled. They tried to give Dr. Gensai as much time as possible to return from his own lunch. When they were ready however, Kaoru took Alden to about a block down the road to the meet the esteemed doctor again. When slid the door open they heard a small bell, chime with the movement.

"Oh Ms. Kaoru, to what do I owe this visit?" Dr. Gensai asked as he stood from stocking one of his shelves. His two granddaughters could be heard frolicking in the back yard. It really was a beautiful day. There was a part of him that wished he could get done with stocking the shelves so he could enjoy the day.

"It seems Alden here was needing some herbs. He's got some kind of disease from his world. Do you mind if he looks though your stores?" Kaoru asked politely, knowing they had already trusted him with Alden's big secret. It was always worth it knowing a good doctor, especially one you could trust.

"Of course, do you know it's called?" The doctor stood and approached the young man, looking for any physical signs of what he was looking for. If he could get an idea of what this disease did then he could likely narrow down the herbs he would need.

"It doesn't exist yet and we never named it. Where I'm from most people who've succumbed to it, think it's a good thing." Alden replied with regret in his voice. A large part of him wished he could have regularly spread the cure from the sky.

"I see… do you know the ingredients you need?" While diagnosing new diseases was not entirely uncommon, it was difficult to come up with a treatment for such things. These vague answers did not help.

"I write them down. Do you have any Camellia Root?" Alden asked as the doctor gave him a piece of parchment to jot down what he needed.

"The root, can't say I do but there is a forest near the harbor with quite a few." It took a few minutes for the boy to write down the many ingredients he would need. The list was actually quite long. Most of them were rather familiar but a few needed some further explaining. Japanese had evolved quite a bit over a couple hundred years, as had the way they described medicine. The Latin chemical names were far more widely used than the names of each herb. It took more than an hour of back and forth to find the many roots, leafs, and barks that would contain the chemicals Alden would need.

"I've got to say, that is quite the list. I have most of it but it will take time and preparation." A number of the materials would have to be ground to powder, while others would have to be extracted from similar powders.

"Is there any way to make it into a pill, something I could take every few days?" Alden asked. Back home he didn't exactly have a lot of resources at his disposal; most of the time they had to inject it in liquid form.

"If we could extract the fundamental chemicals, it's a possibility. Have you thought about making a tea? That would be much quicker with these ingredients." The doctor suggested. A number of the materials were actually quite widely used in the production of tea. Chinese medicinal teas were actually quite popular. Truthfully there was a tea shop near the heart of town that would have most everything his stores own wouldn't.

"_Sooner would be better_…" Alden thought to himself. He knew that the confrontation between Aoshi and Kanryu Takeda would come soon enough and he would have to be in top shape by then. He certainly couldn't have himself losing to that blasted monster of his in a fight with Hanya or Hyotoko. Somehow they had to find a way to defeat them while keeping Kanryu from killing them with his Gatling gun.

"It's worth a shot. If you could gather what you have while I try to find the root; I would be most grateful." Alden asked with a curious bow.

"Just come back before dinner and I'll have it ready for you." Dr. Gensai replied with a smile. It wasn't often you got to take part in curing an unknown disease.

"Thanks again Dr. Gensai!" Kaoru shouted cheerfully as they left.

"Oh, youth at it's finest. It's good to see Kaoru doing better after losing so many students." The doctor reminisced before taking the list into his hand and turning to his many stocked shelves.

"Now where do I keep my lotus blossom?"

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Tokyo's harbor was surprisingly close but the roads to take them there weren't exactly the straightest in the world. A car would have had them there in a matter of minutes but by foot it took more than half an hour just to see the water on the horizon. What they were looking for however was not the harbor itself. Kaoru knew the forest Dr. Gensai was talking about. There was a stream that emptied into the harbor where a waterfall cut through a dense forest. The Camellia trees grew at the edge of the stream where they could get plenty of water.

It was unfortunate that they were not in bloom but the blossoms were not what they needed. The root of the tree would have to be dug out of the ground and a few strands of root carefully harvested.

"Thank you again Kaoru. You don't want to see how I get without this serum." Alden thanked the woman who was providing them a place to stay. It was impossible to say how truly thankful he was for that. For her to continue giving like this when she had no immediate source of income

"Well someone's got to keep you knuckleheads in shape. Besides, if it weren't for you I don't think Kenshin would have ever thought about getting a job."

"He wouldn't have. The show never mentioned it but I think you were mostly living off the bounty rewards for taking down some of the more dangerous threats to the government. Raijuta Isurugi and Shishio Makoto are a couple of the greater threats."

"Did I ever get any real students again?" Kaoru asked, silently hoping that she did.

"Not that I'm aware of. But if Kenshin gets this squad going, I'm sure you'll be more than busy. If I can get a proper forge going I imagine I'll have plenty of reverse blade swords to make."

"There it is, see, oh wow there's a lot of them." Kaoru pointed out the trees at the edge of the clearing. A number of them surrounded the creek below a waterfall. The most lush of them however, were clearly up top.

"Do you think there's a way around to get up there?" Alden asked, looking around for a decent path.

"Probably but the forest gets pretty dense. Wont the ones down here do?" Kaoru asked, concerned for how sheer the cliff was. A fall from that height would kill even the hardiest men. It would be a bloody and gruesome death to land on those jagged rocks.

"Back home, I found the healthiest trees made the most potent serum. Stay here and get help if I fall." Alden replied, removing his loose fitting shirt to keep it from grabbing on any of the jagged edges. The baggiest part of his pants were tied tight around his ankles for the same reason.

"You can't do that! A fall from that height would kill anyone. Sano might survive but he's hardly normal." Kaoru expressed her concern. Quite frankly she wasn't sure if Sano would survive such a fall, even after how well he took all that bruising from Kenshin.

"Wish me luck." With a smile plastered on his face, Alden broke into a sprint, drawing one of his swords and leaping high into the air. He made it a full five meters up the side of the waterfall before slamming is blade hard into the rock face. The blade melted deep but with it twisted to the side, it did not melt downward. With all the practiced agility of an acrobat, the boy worked himself into a swing until he stood on top of the blade's hilt. Using his blade as a springboard Alden took a number of jumps, drawing his second blade as he leaped high yet again. Not satisfied with the height of this jump he allowed himself to springboard yet again and flew within three meters of the top before he plunged his blade as deeply as he could. Swinging up top yet again he made his final springing leap onto smooth grass.

With every jump Kaoru felt like she nearly had a heart attack. It really was scary seeing someone make a 12 meter climb in only a few jumps. There was silence for a few moments and the dojo master began to wonder if Alden managed to hit his head on something. That was of course until he peered his head over the edge with a wide grin plastered on his face.

"Told you I could do it. Hell, Kenshin could probably do that in one jump." Alden boasted as he stood up strait and drew a small shovel from his pocket.

"Are you insane?" Kaoru shouted, her irritation just as evident as the fact that she wanted the boy to hear here so far away.

"Probably." Alden shouted back with an amused chuckle in his voice. After all, he did occasionally get a strange voice in the back of his head. "I'll be back in a minute!" From the bottom of the cliff Kaoru could just barely make out the sound of digging and chopping. Nearly ten minutes passed before the silver haired boy showed up again, only this time he was carrying a sack full of Camellia root.

"That should hold me over for a good while."

"It's about time, but how do you plan on getting down from there?" Kaoru replied with a sigh, thinking he certainly took his sweet time. Thankfully they had time.

"Hmm, getting down… Well there's always Kenshin's way." Alden stroked his chin till he came up with an idea.

"_Why does that sound dangerous?" _Kaoru couldn't help but think to herself after having seen the way Alden got up there. Her worst fears were confirmed when she saw him backup away from the wall before leaping high and nose-diving off the edge. Ever faster the swordsman fell; the only thing which slowed him any was when he grabbed ahold of one of his blades, yanking it out of the wall before continuing his descent. He repeated this action with his second blade, making sure he got close enough to the cliff to kick off so he could land in a crouching slide.

For all of Alden's effort the landing was still quite hard. "Yup, that hurt…" He wheezed out though he clearly had suffered no major damage. Thanks to his enhancements he knew any muscles he may have damaged would be healed within the hour. Thankfully it didn't feel like he pulled anything so he stood and sheathed each blade a flourish and practiced precision.

"Of course it did you dummy! You really are insane." Stomping her way over to Alden, Kaoru bashed him on the head for his stupidity. They really ought to make a special police force; all they needed to do was call it the monster squad and they would fit right in. Between Kenshin, Sano, and this nut there wasn't much else they were good for.

"Just wait till Kenshin finishes training with his master. You don't know insane till you've seen those two fight." Alden replied, rubbing his now bruised head.

"Why am I not surprised that Kenshin's master is as much of a monster as he is." The dojo master couldn't help but sigh at the thought. She may not have seen Kenshin go truly all out but between the rumors and what she had seen the man was truly terrifying swordsman. The reality of Kenshin's strength didn't fit his personality at all.

"You have no idea."

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Alden's particularly long drop definitely slowed them down as they returned to Dr. Gensai's. This brought significant verbal wrath from the woman who was providing him shelter. It was never wise to anger the hand that fed you so Alden couldn't do much but apologies. It took a while for him to explain that back in his world he had gotten used to jumping nearly that high. Mech suits, large and lumbering machines that were armed with advanced rockets and Gatling guns were things he fought regularly. Fighting such things required quite a bit of agility and a bit of recklessness. Without his physical enhancements such movements would have been impossible for even the most skilled humans. The fact that Kenshin could perform similar feats without the same genetic manipulation really brought home just how out of the ordinary his level of genius was.

As they approached the doctor's clinic it was quite easy to take notice of a man built quite similarly to Dr. Gensai. The short and slightly chubby man seemed to be having a good time chatting away with the good doctor. There was a rather large sack on the ground to the man's left that seemed to be filled to the brim with a number of pots and ingredients.

"Oh, you're back Kaoru. You're just in time. This is Gyoki Murasame, he owns a tea shop down the way. He was able to help me with the ingredients I didn't have. With his help we might be able to make something that doesn't taste like bitter medicine." Dr. Gensai greeted them with a smile while introducing his friend. The doctor patronized Gyoki's tea shop quite frequently. It wasn't exactly a famous shop but it certainly was a respected place within Tokyo. One thing was certain, Mr. Murasame knew his tea.

"I see you got the root you needed. Good, if you could chop it as finely as you can, I'll make sure the rest is ready." It took a couple hours of prep work for all the ingredients to be ground and ready. Using as much knowledge of the chemical ratios as he could Alden gathered each ingredient in scoops so he could create the right balance for his mixture. In the end he divided up the pile into a number of estimated doses before allowing the tea maker to go to work. With a fresh batch of tea simmering, Gyoki took every small tastes as he tried to reason out which of his own ingredients would balance out the flavor into a palatable tea. It wasn't much longer when the tea was complete and Alden poured a cup to try for the first time.

"I balanced it out with mint and sweetened it with a bit of honey. I think you'll like the result. It should be good worm or cold so you can take the proper dose throughout the day." The tea maker explained the most important ingredients he added while Alden tried a cup. Calmly taking a sip, Alden swished the tea around his mouth, checking the flavor and seeing if there was anything he would add personally.

"This will do nicely. I'm very grateful for your help. I'll be sure to pay you back for this Kaoru." Alden thanked her before turning to the doctor and tea maker to thank them as well. The monster within him was a terrifying thing, a beast that had to be caged. If it weren't for friends like these there was no telling what would become of him.

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It was nearly time for dinner when Alden and Kaoru finally returned to the dojo. The boy carried a canteen full of tea at his side and a sack full tea powder in glass jars. The supply should last him several months before he would have to order more. Thankfully now that they knew a solid recipe it would be a simple matter of placing the order. It wouldn't do to worry Kaoru with more leaps up such a dangerous wall.

"Hey Kaoru! The police chief came by earlier." Yahiko screamed, running in their direction the moment he saw them in the distance. By the sound of his voice it wasn't too urgent but it certainly sounded important.

"The police chief? Don't tell me he was after Kenshin again." Kaoru replied, knowing that wasn't likely to be the case but concerned none the less. 

"I don't know, but he gave Kenshin some kind of letter. Kenshin's been staring at it ever since." A letter, from what Kenshin told her earlier it was likely from Lord Yamagata. That was rather fast though. The Lord of the Imperial army was a busy man. It actually surprised her that the man would get the message so quickly, much less reply. Somehow he had to have business nearby.

Like Yahiko said, when they found Kenshin he was sitting inside the dojo, reading the letter by the now fading sunlight. He recognized their footsteps and acknowledged them before they even made it to the door.

"Lord Yamagata wants to meet me tomorrow; that he does." Kenshin stated before any of his friends had a chance to ask him anything. He soon handed the letter to Kaoru, knowing she would want to see what it said.

"That quick?" Kaoru asked, it was surprising enough that the letter would arrive so quickly but such a fast meeting was unheard of. Taking the letter, she moved closer to the door for some better lighting before she started reading.

"Kenshin is a valuable person to Lord Yamagata. I'm sure he wants to know why Kenshin had such a quick change of heart." Alden surmised.

"This one will not be an officer in the army; that I most certainly will not." Kenshin stated decisively. As much as he wanted to help protect people there was only so much he could do alone. However, the last thing he wanted was to get so involved with the government that he would become some purposed murderer again. He had to forge a better way. Somehow he had to convince Lord Yamagata that this core of revers blade sword wielders could do everything they needed. He had to convince the lord that such a squad was capable of dealing with people like Kurogasa.

"Then let's hope he finds your terms agreeable." Alden stated as Kaoru handed him the letter Kenshin had studied for so long.

The letter read.

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Mr. Himura,

Your police chief, Soichiro has informed me of your wish to form a special group in order

to deal with certain troublesome elements such as those involved in this Kurogasa incident.

I am quite pleased that you have had such a quick change of heart. Though I deeply respect

your oath to never kill again; it pleases me that you also recognize the danger such individuals

represent to the public peace and our country as a whole.

Again I say to you that we need your strength, Himura. Unfortunately I am a very busy man.

I will be unable to come to you as I did before. However, I can grant you and your friends

entrance to Edo Castle where I am currently dealing with some rather important business.

If you wish to speak with me further on this matter, it would be best if we could meet early

tomorrow afternoon. Afterword's I must prepare to depart towards Aizu for further business.

Sincerely,

Lord Aritomo Yamagata

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**Chapter Notes**

There we go. One of the quirks I always wanted Alden to have was him carrying around a canteen and sipping on his tea all the time. This provides the perfect reason for that, especially after his last freak-out. Just to let you know, after the meeting with Yamagata, we will be getting into the full swing of the Oniwabanshu ark. I'm excited. I do think I want to get another chapter of Rise of the Guardians out first though, so keep an eye open for that.


	7. Chapter 07 - To Forge A Blade

**The False Apocalypse **

**Book 1: A New Beginning**

**Chapter Seven**

**To Forge A Blade**

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the worlds or characters from the crossovers. If I did I would be working on them and not this. The original characters and world in the first chapter are however of my own creation.

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It had rained the night after Alden obtained his new treatment. Today was warm and sunny but humid from the evaporating moisture. Kenshin had left just past dawn in order to meet Lord Yamagata. Though Edo castle was not too far away, Kenshin would have to travel by foot. He also wanted some time to gather his thoughts before their meeting. No matter how it went his life would change forever. If Kenshin's old friend disliked the idea, then he would have to find some way of keeping Alden out of jail. Last night the two swordsmen had talked extensively about the sorts of enemies Kenshin had to face in the future. In Kenshin's mind, this fact proved just how necessary such an organization would be. If Lord Yamagata agreed with the idea… the reality of it frightened him just as much as facing those many enemies alone. Regardless, the world needed to change at a fundamental level.

Kenshin was under no illusions that some squad of reverse blade wielders could change the way people thought about the world. What he did believe however, was that historically speaking, change always started with a single blade. It was time to forge a blade for times of peace. A sword was a weapon to kill; after all whenever one was drawn it was almost a certainty that someone would die. That was the beauty of the reverse blade sword, nobody _had_ to die when it was drawn. Similar ends could of course be brought with a normal blade, but the skill of the swordsman had to be worlds beyond the opponent. The level of difference between to opponents would have to be so vast that the attacker could inflict crippling yet non-lethal damage. The degree of skill and accuracy involved was like swinging a nodachi with the goal of cleaving both wings off a fly. To make matters worse it was like doing that in a single motion without shaving a single hair off the creature's back. Very few in history ever achieved that level of mastery over anything.

While Kenshin spent a good portion of his day taking the scenic rout to the other end of a major city, Alden decided it was time to bring his existence out of the dark ages, so to speak. While his time machine was effectively a gigantic paperweight at this point, it was still a device filled with highly advanced technology. If he could rip it apart to see how it was built he could make a new one in a few decades. If not, he could strip it down and make a lot of very useful things. The top priorities on his list at the moment were trimming down Wedge's old gear to his own new size and creating a forge so he could build the swords Kenshin wanted.

A quick glance around the device proved rather interesting. There were several tool chests built around the main chasse. Opening them up could only make Alden smirk at his old friend's thoughtfulness. In one he found several plasma guns, including several pistols, a couple scatter rifles, and a sniper rifle. Another was absolutely stuffed with high capacity energy cells. It frightened Alden to think how much explosive power was within these few cubic meters. If the antimatter were released into the air without the safeties… Suffice it to say the damage Haley's comet could inflict would be dwarfed to an unimaginable degree.

The most interesting discovery was actually a chest with a LOT of documents. They were Wedge's blueprints, calculations, and conjecture about the machine itself. Just glancing through some of it make Alden's head spin with the sheer complexity of the physics involved. Setting them aside, the bottom of the chest revealed a number of tools that brought a smile to his face. It wasn't everything he would need but it was more than a start. Hammers, torches, presses, and a fried synthesizer. If he could get the synthesizer going he could make damn near anything he needed as long as he had the raw materials. In the meantime, it was everything he would need to make a proper forge. All he had to do was strip down a few of the chests and he could make a decent workshop.

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It truly was a gorgeous day for a nice long walk. Approaching Edo Castle, the grounds were well kept with countless flower gardens and seasonal trees. Even the smell would be intoxicating if one stopped long enough to enjoy it. It was amazing how few people took the time to appreciate the beauty so nearby. Kenshin was glad he got up so early so he could take the scenic route. He needed time to think, time to gather his words. There was so much to be said, after all.

Thus far, Kenshin had discussed his idea with Alden quite thoroughly but it was still just that, an idea. One thing was sure though, they wanted to create an organization that would act to, as peacefully as possible, resolve disputes that should quite frankly be above the pay grade of typical police. One goal was to prove that a reverse blade sword was more useful in keeping the peace than a traditional sword. Traditionally both guns and swords did terrible amounts of damage when used. Fortunately for most officers, handguns could be aimed to injure, but that took a certain level of skill and still caused a lot of bleeding. Guns were also effectively useless against the most skilled sword masters, unless they were caught off-guard or were vastly outnumbered. A sword on the other hand tended to maim if not kill, some techniques in the hands of a skilled practitioner could quite literally cleave an opponent in half. For traditional peacekeeping, this was an unnecessary level of force. If they could prove the overall usefulness of Kenshin's blade, then it may gain wider use within the police swordsmen.

The second goal of the organization was to act as diplomats towards groups and factions that were against the current government. From Alden's explanations there would be several groups Kenshin would have to fight, that are against the Meiji government due to its hostility towards the samurai lifestyle. In reality, there were quite a few that were trying to either build up arms for another war, or openly skirmishing against officers in the guise of common bandits. Kenshin's goal was to allow this group to be a form of concession towards the willing among those factions. It was a way of letting more swordsmen continue their livelihood while protecting citizens from the crossfire and the government from its more radical aggressors. The goal to avoid killing wherever possible was probably their greatest obstacle. There would be many who considered the idea to be naive. Regardless, an example needed to be made for how officers and swordsmen in general should act in this new era.

There was so much more to think about but Kenshin arrived at the outer edges of the castle having mulled over far less than anticipated. He only hoped that Yamagata had the time for a long conversation. As Kenshin approached the outer wall he was approached by two uniformed officers who stood guard at the main gate.

"You are Mr. Himura correct? We have orders to bring you directly to Lord Yamagata. If you will kindly hand over your sword, it will be returned to you at this gate." The man on the left stated dutifully. The protocol was not too different from in the past. While samurai were once permitted to carry their blades in the castle they were asked to hand them over when approaching the more secure areas. Today however, only authorized guards and high ranking military officials could carry such weapons on the premises. With a light bow, Kenshin wordlessly handed over his blade, knowing he would go no further with it.

"Follow me." The same man replied, as he turned and walked through the gate. In the meantime, the other guard returned to his post, and observed the entrance before closing the gate behind them. To say that it was more beautiful within the castle walls than outside of it would be an understatement. Every plant and tree seemed to be cared for by a master. Kenshin knew that Lord Yamagata was one such master of the art. If only a few gardens within the walls were of his design, they would easily stand out as masterpieces among the others. He was also sure that Lord Meiji loved these gardens quite thoroughly.

To Kenshin's pleasant surprise, Lord Yamagata actually was out tending the gardens. It was the requested time and the Lord of the army knew the two of them would need some privacy for what they would discuss. An open garden of great expanse was perfect for such a private conversation.

"Ah, Himura. I'm very glad you could make it." Lord Yamagata greeted his old comrade as if they had never gone their own separate ways. There was a good part of him who wished they hadn't, Kenshin was a powerful man who would have held a great deal of weight in the forming of the new government. Were it not for these two men, it was unlikely that Japan would resemble anything close to what it did now.

"This one is also glad Mr. Yamagata could see me on such short notice, that I most certainly am."

"That's just like you Himura, always so polite to friends. Tell me, what made you change your mind?" Barely a week had passed since the fake Battousai incident had brought them together for the first time in over a decade. A former student of Kaoru's father was trying to shame the school by committing murders under the guise of the Battousai while claiming he used her style. Kenshin of course put a swift end to that matter. Thankfully some good came of it. Aritomo caught wind of these events and came to see why his old comrade would have become such a senseless murderer. He was presently surprised when he found Kenshin preventing some corrupt police swordsmen from executing civilians for the sheer thrill of it.

"Well, this one believes it was less a change of mind so much as a want to spread a more peaceful way of resolving conflict." Kenshin replied, choosing his words carefully. He did need to provide a good enough reason to warrant his idea, after all.

"I see, you do realize how idealistic you sound. Don't get me wrong Himura, people love to hear the words of idealists, but few ever act on them. This world is filled too many idealists and not nearly enough men of action." Yamagata replied as he led Kenshin over beneath the shade of an out of bloom sakura tree.

"That is why this one wishes to be an example to them; that I do."

"I will admit, the actions of the police swordsmen the other day were not ideal, but there are problems in this world that cannot be fixed with pretty ideals. I believe it was Thomas Jefferson, an American President who said 'If there's something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.' We have taken drastic steps to move forward into this new world but there is so much to do. There are still countless groups that wish to overthrow our new government. What kind of example would you set for them?"

"This one has seen many of them in my travels. They are more lost than I was; that they most certainly are. It's hard to train your whole live for your livelihood to vanish overnight." Kenshin replied, looking back on the many he had seen over the years of his wandering. The ones who turned to assassination and thievery were seemingly countless."

"We've given countless samurai opportunities to join the police. What would you do any different?" It was a valid question. Even in the original timeline they offered positions to

"They need something more important than guarding a building or stopping simple theft. Such a trade wouldn't matter to me; that it would not, but many need to feel needed by the government."

"What are you getting at Himura? Surely you don't mean to make them assassins, we don't have enough positions in the army for the rank half of them deserve." As pleased as Yamagata was that Kenshin had reconsidered, he was becoming more and more weary that whatever had brought Kenshin here was little more than childish thoughts. The Kenshin he knew was not the kind to delude himself but this conversation was certainly starting to sound like it.

"There is little need for samurai in this new era, but we cannot let them feel that the government does not honor who they are; that we must not. Many towns still need protecting from bandits, and pirates, or those who wish to destroy this government. This one wishes to gather those who will listen to stop those who will not."

"Perhaps, the police are stretched rather thin in some of the more remote areas. Answer me this, why a reverse blade sword? I was a samurai too you know. I imagine years ago, I would have been insulted to be handed one of those. I imagine the reaction will be the same to many." Yet another valid point. Few would take up a reverse blade sword willingly. Most who had seen Kenshin's thought it to be the equivalent of a child's plaything. Fortunately, they were also in for a rude awakening when they saw Kenshin's raw skill.

"A new sword for a new era. It's time to put the bloodshed behind us and wield a sword to protect; that it most certainly is."

"Hmm, a sword to protect." Aritomo stroked his mustache as he thought the concept over. He did remember another swordsman by the name of Kamiya, preaching such an idea during the war. He didn't know what happened to the man but admired his courage to stand by such an ideal in such a violent time. "I can't say I'm convinced Himura, but I'm willing to give you a chance." It certainly couldn't hurt to all Kenshin to try. After all, few lasting changes were ever made willingly.

"That is all this one asks." Kenshin replied with a polite bow.

"I will have to run the idea by the Emperor but he trusts my judgment. I'm sure he will approve. Until then, please enjoy the gardens. Too few get to enjoy the ones within the castle walls." Aritomo replied finally before leaving towards the castle. It truly was a testament to how much power the man held, to be able to see Emperor Meiji at such short notice. At this point, Kenshin could only hope that the meeting went as well as expected.

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It was well past noon when Kaoru sent Yahiko to look for their new, and hopefully temporary freeloader. The son of a samurai was rather surprised when he circled the dojo twice without seeing Alden. He was sure the time traveler should have been near his machine. That was what the boy had told everyone at any rate. Yahiko was just about to go back inside to tell Kaoru that Alden likely went for a walk, when he heard a noise from inside the machine.

"Huh?" Yahiko looked over the door of the machine. It was far too hot out for anyone to be inside a metal ball. Was Alden stupid? He could get heat stroke in that thing! Approaching the machine he rapped on its door quickly as he screamed at the apparent idiot.

"What the hell are you doing in there idiot! It's too hot out here." Seriously, the day was nearly hot enough to sweat in the shade. What kind of idiot wanted to spend that kind of day in a metal ball? It came to Yahiko's relief that Alden clearly heard him. The door soon hissed and began to rise, seemingly on its own. What surprised him however, was the cool air that escaped and momentarily chilled his sweat.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Alden asked, from the single seat within the massive device. The seal was so tight all he heard was a faint tap when Yahiko had practically punched the machine.

"Why is it so cold in there? I can't even touch the outside for how hot it is!" It was awe inspiring for someone who had never felt air conditioning on his skin on a hot day. The experience was magical to a degree that no one from modern society could truly appreciate.

"Oh that, just air conditioning. I got that working a little while ago. The transport coils are shot in the ass but most of the machine is in pretty good shape." Alden replied, actually quite impressed with the machine's overall resilience. Quite a bit was not exactly optimal but certainly better than nothing.

"So you've just been relaxing in the shade all day? That's not fair!" Here he was training and sweeting in the height of summer heat while Alden's relaxing in some cool paradise. Something just wasn't fair here.

"Actually I've been working on a few designs and sewing this up." Alden pulled a black cloak from his lap, it had quite a few seems pulled loose but looked surprisingly like leather. There was acutely quite a bit of it within the small cockpit. Whatever it was, this material was unlike anything he had ever seen before.

"And what exactly is that?" Yahiko asked skeptically. Whatever that was, it didn't look like anything that should be sewed.

"Battle coat, very comfortable, very sturdy. I'm remaking my own at the moment. I can't exactly keep borrowing your clothes forever now can I?" That comment certainly cheered Yahiko up a bit. His already small wardrobe had shrunk greatly when Alden arrived and they didn't exactly have the money go buying a bunch of new clothes.

"Hey what are those?" Just under Alden's seat a number of small crystals drew Yahiko's attention.

"What are what?" Alden looked down but saw nothing. Seeing that they were out of Alden's reach, Yahiko went to grab them.

"These." Presenting the small crystals in the palm of his hands, Yahiko moved his head to let in a ray of sunlight. There were a little more than half a dozen of them. Though each was a different color, ranging from green to purple, they were all hexagonal in shape and about four centimeters long. Taking a purple one into his hand, Alden examined it closely.

"Odd, I've never seen anything like it." Stepping back into the machine he looked to see if his machine had any scanners that would be useful. Unfortunately there were none. That was yet another thing he would have to build. He could already see his projects mounting into the years.

"They look really cool. Can I have one?"

"Maybe once I figure out what they are. It could be an important part of the machine." Alden surmised. Though he couldn't tell where they came from they clearly had to come from somewhere. At this point they could be part of something Wedge was working on or part of the machine itself. It was impossible to tell without a closer look.

"Awe, oh well, Kaoru wanted us to go buy some vegetables for lunch." While handing Alden the crystals, Yahiko pulled out a small pouch of money that Kaoru had given him for the errand.

"Sounds good. Just let me set this stuff aside." His stomach growled as loud as it had in recent days. Yes it was certainly past time to start making lunch.

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Nearly an hour had passed since Lord Yamagata left Kenshin to wonder the gardens, when a number of caretakers came with a bento box full of food for their guest. He accepted it graciously, glad that his old friend had considered even this in his absence. Quite honestly the wait was starting to make Kenshin a bit worried. He hoped it was only a busy day in the castle. There were after all quite a few duties to ruling a country as large and powerful as Japan. Yet another hour passed with little change. Were it not for Kenshin's hope for a positive answer he would have had a much easier time enjoying a garden that likely had no equal in a thousand kilometers. Finally he found a shady tree to lean up against and promptly fell into a restful sleep.

"Enjoying this beautiful weather are you Himura?" Kenshin was abruptly awoken from his slumber by a similar baritone voice. Lord Yamagata had finally returned, hopefully with good news.

"Ah, yes, I do have to thank you for the food. It was most unnecessary; that it was." Kenshin replied politely. He was actually quite thankful for the food.

"Nonsense Himura, I did keep you waiting quite a while. The Emperor is a busy man after all." Even for someone as important as the lord of the army, there was protocol that had to be followed.

"What did the Emperor think of the idea?" Kenshin asked with hope clear in his voice. If the Emperor said no then even Lord Yamagata's word meant nothing.

"Like myself, the Emperor is skeptical. He wishes to part ways with old era to make way for the new. The sword and the way of the samurai is unfortunately, a key feature of the old ways. He did however, like your idea for 'a blade for a new era.' He does however request that your group carry a second more lethal weapon, just in case. He does not care whether it is a gun or a second sword, so long as it can get you out of a tight spot." Both men knew exactly how little a request from the Emperor was actually a request. A request from such a powerful man was just a polite way of giving a command. In Japan, the Emperor's word was law. Kenshin had no choice but to accept the 'request.' Even if he was to wear such a weapon on his back and never draw it was something he would have to wear as a sign of his post. He agreed with a nod.

"Have you given any thought of what you might call this group?"

"That, I have." Kenshin answered plainly. He now hoped that they could complete this group as soon as possible. Once solidified and active he just knew this organization would be a new hope for the people of Japan.

"Very good, then we only have one more thing to discuss. I won't ask you to break your oath Himura but I do ask you to do one thing. Promise me that this group of yours… if your group finds an enemy that can't _just_ be stopped; promise me that you will do what is _necessary_ to protect Japan." What was _necessary, _what a loaded statement that was. Kenshin understood what Aritomo meant completely. He was trying to say that if an opponent came up that was too powerful to convert of capture, it would be up to his group to _end _the conflict. Aritomo did not care who or how, he just wanted the job done.

"This one has sworn to never kill again; that I have. But if this one has to make the choice between killing and allowing someone else to kill; this one will do what is necessary." Kenshin hated saying it, but that was the reality. Battles rarely ended perfectly. If a battle was a simple choice between his own life and his opponent's, that was one thing. If there really was no choice between killing to save one of his friends, a village, or Japan itself, it would be a tough choice but a clear one.

"Then we have an understanding. I will compile a list of_ concerns_ and have them delivered to you. I hope you can act on them in a timely manner."

"This one will act as swiftly as I can; that I most certainly will." Kenshin replied with a polite bow to his new superior.

"It's good to have you back Himura." Lord Yamagata added with a bow of his own. Kenshin would now act directly under his own supervision. Gods willing, this new group would pave a way for an era the likes of which the world has never seen.

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"Hey Kaoru!" Alden shouted, approaching the dojo where its owner was likely training with Yahiko. After eating lunch they had gone their separate ways once again. While Yahiko had his afternoon practice, Alden decided that he had spent enough time on his sewing for the day and wanted to start moving part of the machine into the shed. It was very out of place for a gigantic metal orb to sit just outside of it. As he drew closer the boy could tell that Kaoru heard him, her shadow could easily be seen though the walls, approaching the door.

"Did you find something?" Kaoru asked, knowing the boy had spent quite a bit of time working on his machine today.

"You could say that. I wanted to know if I could build a workshop in the shed. It might take a while, but I'm going to need some place where only you guys can see what I'm working on." Alden replied. He was a bit hesitant to ask since he would have to remove the side of the building for its sheer size. Unfortunately, he couldn't risk his technology getting out. They were lucky the police chief was too concerned with his own business to look into the peculiar object.

"I suppose it does stand out a lot. I'm actually surprised nobody's asked about it." Kaoru replied. The only person who actually asked about it so far had been Dr. Gensai. That was actually how their conversation about Alden started. It was a very strange day. Thankfully things had calmed down a bit since then. Unfortunately if Alden was right, it wouldn't stay that way for long. "Ok, just don't make a mess of things."

Excellent, if Alden could build onto the side of the machine he could create his forge. If he could start getting that in place he could use his spare time to make some proper clothes. The black material Yahiko had seen earlier was the remnants of Wedge's old suit. Alden had pulled it apart to make him a new one. If he was going to be stuck in this world for a while then he was going to do it in style. The invisibility the material was capable of was a very nice bonus for a number of reasons. It would be for the best if he left his original untouched since he knew he would grow into it again.

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It was late that night when Kenshin finally returned to the Kamiya dojo. He had a lot of thinking to do. This was a major change for his life. For ten years now, he had been nothing more than a wonderer. He did odd jobs from time to time for some money or food but that was the extent of his contact with people, especially the government. Meeting Kaoru and the events that followed truly had changed his life forever. Now there was no turning back. Thanks to Alden he knew much of what was coming and quite frankly it scared him. It scared him to know he would have to become stronger than the Battousai ever was if he or anyone around him was going to survive the next few years. Now that his path was set in stone, he knew he would have to come to terms with that path. He had to take that path by the horns and guide it where he wanted it to go; even if it took him down roads he wished didn't have to exist.

As Kenshin approached the dojo he could tell that everyone was still up, though the sun had set several hours ago. He could see the candlelight shining through the rice paper door to the dojo. As he slowly stepped onto the porch the door slid open revealing Kaoru who nearly tackled him with a warm embrace. It wasn't like Kenshin to be out this late so she was starting to get worried. She knew the fears were unfounded, considering how strong Kenshin was, but she worried none the less.

"Did you do it? Did he agree?" Kaoru asked as she released Kenshin, a light blush dawning her cheeks though it was difficult to tell in the dark.

"They did, Mr. Yamagata made me a general so this one will only answer only to him; that I will." Kenshin replied solemnly. He didn't want to be in the army, not anymore but with their new goals he had to.

"Somehow you don't sound very excited about it." Alden added, sensing the tone in Kenshin's voice.

"This one never wanted such a position, that I did not."

"You know, there was a man in my world, he was probably born just a few years ago. People revered him because he stood up against the British Empire at a time when they controlled nearly a quarter of the entire planet. That wasn't why they revered him though; it was because he did it without laying an aggressive finger on a single living thing. He said that we should be the change we want to see in the world and with that idea he brought people together that had been at each other's throats for centuries. He may not have changed everyone's mind, but the minds he did change, shaped the future. Mahatma Gandhi was considered one of the wisest men since Buddha. You my friend have already taken a step in his direction." Hearing the story, Kenshin very much would have liked to meet this Gandhi. Somehow just hearing about the man, made him feel a bit better about what he was doing. Even if this idea didn't work, at least it was a step in the right direction.

"That's better, come in I have something to show you." Alden motioned for Kenshin to come over to a small scroll rolled out near a candle. The red head approached the scroll and noticed a large symbol that took up the entire paper.

"This one likes it very much, that I do." The symbolism at play struck to the very heart of what Kenshin wanted this organization to be, he could tell with just a glance. At first it looked fairly complex but truthfully it was very simple. The symbol was that of a blooming lotus surrounded by an octagon of the eight Bagua trigrams.

"What does it mean?" Kaoru asked, looking at the strange symbol with curious eyes. She had asked Alden earlier but was told that he wanted to the explanation for when Kenshin arrived.

"The lotus is a flower that can take even the dirtiest water and grow as pure and white as snow. It's a symbol of rebirth and a reminder that everyone, even the worst mankind has to offer has the ability to become enlightened. I'm sure you recognize the Bagua trigrams. It is complicated to explain but in short they represent the balance of existence. Each corresponds to a different element or aspect of existence both physically and symbolically.

"What are you going to call it, this group?" Kaoru asked one more time, glad that she was finally getting some real answers.

"The Lotus Guard" Kenshin replied with pride in his voice. This was it. It was time to change the world.

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**Chapter Notes**

If any of you love Japanese history, I suggest you read up on Aritomo Yamagata and Emperor Meiji. They have a very interesting history.

For anyone who wants to imagine the symbol a bit better. The eight Bagua trigrams in an octagon is the symbol used by the Dharma initiative in lost. They represent

Heaven / sky

Wind

Water

Mountain

Earth

Thunder

Fire

Lake

Looking at the eight at first it looks like they are duplicating elements. That is until you realize that they have an element and a corresponding aspect from the world: like earth and mountain.

Thanks again to everyone who reviewed.

To TFXGolem you will be pleased to know you won't have to wait long. I have very interesting plans ahead for the technology Alden found in the machine. As you can see, this is a way of giving them a proper job while making it interesting.

Next time: To Forge an Ally

The next chapter of Rise of the Guardians is likely to come out first though.


	8. Chapter 08 - To Forge an Ally

**The False Apocalypse **

**Book 1: A New Beginning**

**Chapter Eight**

**To Forge an Ally**

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the worlds or characters from the crossovers. If I did I would be working on them and not this. The original characters and world in the first chapter are however of my own creation.

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"And done." Alden said finally, though no one was around to hear him. It had taken every bit of his and his new friends' strength to move his massive machine into the shed where he had spent several days setting up a forge and sewing his new gear. He was quite pleased with Kenshin's progress with the government and decided it was time to make his new friends a gift for their effort. He closed the lid on an old wooden trunk he had found in the shed and hoisted it over his shoulder to carry into the main dojo. It was a difficult week, making everything he had, but that was what made its completion so sweet. Alden couldn't help but grin as he carried the heavy trunk across Kaoru's lawn.

"Can someone open the door here? I'VE GOT GIFTS!" Alden exclaimed as he trudged his way up the dojo's steps. Yahiko quickly came to the door, having dropped his shinai the moment he heard the yell. As could be told from the racket inside, Kaoru was clearly not happy with the boy's neglect of his practice weapon.

"Thanks Yahiko, you might want to go pick that up before Kaoru gets really mad." Alden advised, knowing she was already fuming.

"You're sure, that looks heavy?" Yahiko was still surprised at the unusual strength that Alden displayed. While it wasn't completely unreal like Kenshin's speed it was easily a tier above anything someone his age should be capable of. What surprised him the most was the fact that there were many from Alden's home world that had such enhancements.

"That's not a problem." Alden replied, walking towards the center of the dojo and heaving the chest off his shoulder. Kenshin was sitting in the corner with his blade over his shoulder. "It took a while but I've got it all done. Where's Sano?"

"Visiting Yoita's grave. It took him some time to find it; that it did." Kenshin answered solemnly. A couple days ago Alden had told them about an event that was supposed to happen soon, making sure Sano and Kenshin wouldn't miss any gambling nights with Sano's neighbors. It was a sad night when Sano found out that his friend had died of an opium overdose. Sano had hoped that he would have enough time to save him but it was too late. Nearly a week had already passed since Yoida's death.

"I see, we'll have to do something to cheer him up. This only proves that we will be meeting Aoshi sooner than later." Alden replied as he took a seat on the trunk.

"You said he has some obsession with making the Oniwaban, the best, with defeating me." Kenshin replied, thinking about the few points Alden had actually brought up the other day. The main point of that conversation was largely that they needed to train properly if they were to defeat him. The fact that Jinei ran the other day was troubling; it meant that Kenshin's skills did not grow nearly as much from that battle as in the original timeline. The fight against Aoshi would be even more difficult than before if they did not make up for that deficiency.

"Yes, but that is out of loyalty to his group. Most of the Oniwaban were able to cope with this new era, a few were not. Even Aoshi himself was offered a position within the government but turned it down because some of his most loyal subordinates were not given the same opportunity. As cold as he may seem at first, he is fiercely loyal to his friends. If we can convince them to join us, we will have one of the most powerful groups in Japan on our side." Alden answered seriously. Aoshi truly would be a valuable ally.

"You also said they died, that you did." Kenshin replied, concerned for how that would affect Aoshi. If they couldn't prevent that from happening then this potential ally would become a fierce opponent for a great while. A wrong move here could easily set them back quite a while.

"Oh I have a plan for that. Just keep training for when you face Aoshi himself. As odd as it may sound, he will respect your strength. First though, I have gifts." Alden hopped off of the chest and opened it with the flick of his wrist. On the very top sat what looked like a sheet of black leather. Pulling it out of the trunk he revealed it to be a set of clothes that were all black with a round symbol on the back.

"First off, I made five sets of these. I'll need to gather some more materials before I can make any more. This one is for you, and here's one for Kaoru." Alden stated as he pulled the seemingly leather clothes out from the chest. Each set was neatly folded into squares and easily handed to their respective owners.

"Awesome where's mine?" Yahiko asked with excitement. It wasn't often that he got presents. The fact that most of his life was spent as an effective slave to a local Yakuza group was a testament to that.

"You will get one when Kaoru says you've mastered your style." Alden replied without a hint of joking.

"That's not fair."

"It's not meant to be fair. These will represent our membership in the Lotus Guard." Alden replied seriously. If one was going to wear one of these, they would have to wear it with the dignity of a military position. Unfortunately Yahiko was yet to have that kind of decorum or the skill truly required for such a group. One day though, he would be one of the most skilled swordsmen in Japan.

"Why's it black? Won't we get really hot in these?" Kaoru asked as she unfolded the coat that was on top. The entire set was charcoal black with a few slightly lighter accents. The collar was long, wide and a bit lighter than the rest of the coat. In all it was largely modeled after Aoshi's in an attempt to appeal to the man's tastes to some degree. On the back, just below the hood, sat a symbol embroidered in metallic thread. It was the one Alden had shown Yahiko the other day, only a bit more refined. It was the symbol of a blooming lotus, surrounded by the bagua trigrams. This was to be the symbol of the Lotus Guard.

"Surprisingly enough, no. That is a material wedge and I developed in my world. It looks like leather but breathes well in the summer and retains heat in the winter. It moves well with the body but goes ridged when struck with blunt force or a strong burst of energy. As thin as it looks, it will stop traditional bullets better than a decimeter of steel. As for why it's black, my cloaking technology works best with either black or white and solid white is impossible to keep clean." Kaoru had to sigh deeply at that. Black was… a very bland color, usually reserved for funerals. She deeply wanted to do something to liven it up a bit.

"They all turn invisible?" Kenshin wasn't exactly a fan of the dark colors but the ability to turn invisible would be invaluable. Not only could the knock out countless enemies without being seen but if they became outnumbered it was a good way to make a tactical retreat.

"When their power cells are active, yes. Mine is activated by a … I guess you can call it a button implanted in my head. Yours however, will have to be activated by a secret movement. I'll teach you that later. I tried to make it look like we're performing some kind of spell." Explaining the ability took a bit of effort. It was so hard to describe what exactly a nuro-signal detecting computer chip was, but button seemed adequate for the moment. Trying to find a discreet but 'magical' looking signal for the suit to react to was quite a bit more difficult. The one he decided on was to have the user have their middle and forefinger extended while having the rest of their fingers imitate being wrapped around some object. With this sign, it would be easy to activate while holding a sword, and could easily be done with either hand and de-activated just as easily.

"Now then, gift number two." Alden reached into the trunk yet again and pulled out a folded cloth with several sheathed swords resting on top.

"They are all reverse blade swords with a secret notch just below the guard. Under normal circumstances they are little different from Kenshin's blade. Tap the notch twice with your thumb however, and the blunt end will instantly melt through even stone. Don't worry about melting the sheathe; I have that ability designed to deactivate while in contact with it. I have one for all three of you." Each blade

"Really sweet!" Yahiko jumped in excitement. He finally had a real sword to practice with. No more of those weak shinai! It was unfortunate for him that it was foolish to practice with even a reverse blade sword unless the wielder was rather advanced in his style. A reverse blade sword was even worse in this respect than a traditional blade, as the sharp end faced the user. Without adequate training and skill, it could easily be turned against the wielder.

"Yours doesn't have a power cell, Yahiko." The young boy's excitement quickly faded at that realization. On the other hand, he was still quite happy to have a sword of some sort. He just wished everyone would stop treating him like a little kid.

"Alright Yahiko, you're not about to take that thing out of this dojo, you hear me?" Kaoru added sternly, to which Yahiko blew her a raspberry. Until further notice she was his mother figure and she was not about to have him arrested for carrying a sword. The day he joined the Lotus Guard was the day he would be able to take that blade with him.

"How did you make these so fast?" Kaoru asked, putting Yahiko's antics behind her. It was shocking that the boy could make multiple swords in only a few days. By all standards they should have taken weeks a piece.

"I got my synthesizer working. Once I poured the main shape it was able to make all the fine adjustments. Even without the reticulation active, the blade should cleave through limestone if you're skilled enough." Pride was evident in Alden's voice at the quality of the blades. To him, swords were an art and nothing short of a masterpiece should leave the forge. Modern technology certainly helped with that. There was much less hammering and folding involved in making a flawless product. For this type of construction, the materials and atomic structure were everything.

During this exchange, Kenshin had been silently examining the blade. The sheath itself was black with a single white streak down each side. The hilt was identical, though it was wrapped in the same material as the coats were made of. Both the guard and pommel were emblazoned with the new seal of the Lotus Guard. Drawing the blade, Kenshin examined it with a critiquing eye. For one who had been around swords nearly as long as he could hold one, the swordsman could tell just how fine a blade it truly was. It was surprisingly light, his own reverse blade sword was somewhat heavier than a traditionally blade due to the fact that the long curve was the end with most of the weight. The shorter side on the other hand held the blade. This blade however, was as light as a kodachi and exceptionally well balanced.

"Well, what do you think?" Alden asked with a wide grin on his face. If he had ever outdone himself it was now. These blades were some of his finest work yet.

"It is a fine blade; that it is." Kenshin replied while giving it a couple practice swings. Something about its overall shape made it feel as if the blunt end were not so blunt, allowing a marginally faster swing. For a swordsman who relied on speed as opposed to strength this was a game changing blade. He did not however feel that his own master would like the blade. For a man as fast at Hiko Seijuro, he relied heavily on strength. Such a light blade would not suit him well. "This one is very grateful, it truly is a blade for a new era." A peaceful smile adorned Kenshin's face as he thought of the ramifications this blade would bring. He would have to train with it specifically, lest the difference from his own bring him ruin in their upcoming battles.

Few outside of true master swordsmen could tell you how much difference there was between two otherwise identical blades. It was like a virtuoso who played only one piano. Their instrument was such an extension of themselves that they knew otherwise unnoticeable pressure differences between keys or strings. When ones senses were that attuned even such minor differences could throw them off if they weren't prepared. This is why true virtuosos always took their own instrument with them, only playing another if it was truly a superior product, like a Stradivarius. Kenshin was a swordsman of that caliber. His own blade had been by his side so long that he could scarcely imagine wielding anything else.

"I'm glad you like it. Give Sano the nodachi when he gets here. If he doesn't like it, tell him I don't care if he wears it every day, so long as he wears it while we're on duty. I have something I need to take care of."

"More gathering? I thought you didn't have any money?" Kaoru asked, a little taken aback by the amount of errands the boy had ran the last few days.

"I don't, but I'm not buying anything. Let's just call it 'laying some groundwork.'" With a grin, Alden took his own stack of clothes and his new blade and retreated to the shed to change. Where he was going, he was going to need to be sneaky.

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Life in black-ops was a trying one, but one learned some rather valuable skills on those kinds of missions. One of the most important was how to locate your target. Alden knew that Kanryu Takeda's mansion was well outside Tokyo and would be difficult to find without more specific information than he had. Thus a simple spying mission was in order. Knowing what he did about Kanryu's … less legitimate business, Alden decided it was time to stake out some of the more questionable districts within Tokyo. While the city was one of the most beautiful on the planet, none were without their slums in some form. With those areas came drugs and illegal weapons, both of which were well inside of Kanryu's accepted forms of black market activity.

Invisibility and the ability to reduce one's own traceable footprint made infiltrating this area quite easy. A little eavesdropping in the right places proved quite fruitful. It only took four leads till he knew which road would lead him directly to Kanryu's mansion. One particular fool was right, it would be madness to go there in hopes of buying opium. As much of a businessman as Kanryu was, he didn't want his home base muddled by the business of dealing. Anyone who got too close were easily cut down by the Oniwaban group, not that many knew which group was actually guarding the place.

The sun was beginning to set below the forest's tree line as Kanryu's mansion came into Alden's view. He struck to the main road, avoiding the need to step into the grass as the depressed foliage would easily give away his position. Even a group of ninjas as skilled as the Oniwaban wouldn't be looking for an invisible opponent; a well-disguised one perhaps but not an invisible one. This became quite evident when he silently strode past Shikijo who was passively guarding the main gate with a large iron ball at his side. The large brown haired man had muscles the size of melons though he was heavily scarred from head to toe.

Shikijo suddenly went on the alert when he heard the snapping of a twig. Looking around he saw nobody but did manage to find the offending twig. There was a tree nearby, but the twig looked like it had fallen quite a while ago. It was strange but hearing nothing further around so he returned to his position. Honestly, who would try to sneak through the main gate?

"_Idiot! That was the oldest mistake in the damn book. I've played games on easy mode with trickier mistakes than that." _Alden thought to himself as he resolved to pay a bit more attention to his footing. He wasn't in a metropolis anymore where the trees were few and the roads were smooth as silk.

Making his way closer to the mansion Alden wondered how he was going to get in without drawing attention to some 'ghost' opening the front door. That was when he noticed a slightly cracked window on the second floor. It was starting to get dark, making it rather difficult to see if anyone was in the room but considering that there were no lit candles it was easy to assume. Breaking into a sprint, the silver haired boy leaped high and landed in a crouch on the windowsill.

"_Interesting, that was almost as easy as Jinei made it look."_ With a practiced grace Alden slid the window open just enough to slide through before returning the slide to its original position. He could hear the thinking of iron weights within the wall and cringed. _"Right, they had to counterweight them before they switched to aluminum. Bah, this world just gets better and better."_

Placing his ear on the room's door, Alden checked for the sounds of anyone nearby. Hearing no voices or footsteps he cracked the door and peeked into the hall. The coast was clear. It was now rather easy to hear a conversation at the edge of his enhanced hearing. At this distance they were only whispers, impossible to make out over the distortion of the manor's walls, but Alden could recognize that Kanryu was talking with Aoshi.

"_Good, now if I can find Aoshi's room…"_

It took nearly ten minutes of cautious searching but Alden finally found it. Aoshi's room was rather sparsely decorated, though there were a few cushions around a low cut table that featured a porcelain tea set at its center.

"Perfect." Alden intoned out loud as his invisibility faded. Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out a small canteen. Unlike the one that still hung from the back of his belt, this one was not filled with the tea he had been drinking to keep his sanity. This tea was of a more traditional variety. Opening the canteen, Alden poured it into the empty tea set and pulled a small leathery coaster from a pocket inside his coat. Swiping his index finger along the edge, a series of lights scrolled from green to yellow and finally settled on a dark orange. _"I've got to make more of these. They came in too handy on long missions."_ In a matter of minutes a steady stream of steam could be seen rising from the teapot. Turning the setting a little lower, Alden began to wait. Sometimes patience was a necessity.

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Shortly after Alden had left the dojo, Kaoru felt like it was a good enough time to practice with the blade. Yahiko was of course excited to do the same, so the two of them took their new blades and provided them with new resting places at their owners' sides. Neither had ever held the weight of a real blade before. To both of them it was a new and sobering experience. Shinai were so light and strait, they didn't offer a true example of what it meant to hold a sword. Truthfully, the shinai was only invented because the traditional bokken often resulted in injury during spars. The reverse blade sword would be far more damaging. While it was difficult to kill with a reverse blade sword, it was not remotely impossible. Thrusting techniques still worked to great effect, and traditional techniques could easily snap bones and crush cartilage. A solid strike on the neck could kill as easily as hanging. This was the weight of their new sakabato.

Kenshin watched intently as Kaoru and Yahiko ran though their kata with their new blades. It had been so many years since he watched such a thing done with steel. This new blade fit Kaoru well, too well. Alden had never asked any of them for measurements, yet it felt like these were made to be the most balanced extension of their own arms. Kenshin knew his sakabato was never made for him specifically, it was merely a prototype sword for a new era. Arai Shakku, the blade's creator would be proud of his success in that. For Kenshin though, it had never mattered that the blade was not perfectly fitted to him; that fact was just another way of toning down his own skill so he couldn't kill again.

Unfortunately the time for holding back had passed. It was time for Kenshin to solidify a new path in the era he helped create. Soon he would have to seek out his old master and beg forgiveness for his foolish ways. Kenshin hoped beyond hope that his master would join them, and that he could finally finish his training as a successor of the Hiten Mitsurugi style. The swordsman knew that his master was by far the superior swordsman. Hiko Seijuro was stronger, faster, and more experienced than even _the Battousai_.

Without a word Kenshin stood, drawing his new blade as he moved to stand next to Yahiko. The movement drew the curious attention of his friends, though when he assumed their stance, they couldn't help but grin and continue. In nearly perfect synchronicity the three of them moved through the various forms and kata of the Kamiya Kasshin style. Looking at its principle, this would be the perfect starter style for their new Lotus Guard. All the aspects of what they wanted to become where here in the style. The techniques were based around a solid defense with reasonable counterattacking capability. The attacks themselves revolved largely around attacking areas of the opponent that would injure or cripple but not kill. Combined with a reverse blade sword, it would be a formidable technique to all but the most skilled opponents. Since meeting Kaoru he had paid very close attention to her training sessions with Yahiko. From that Kenshin had learned a reasonable portion of the style's techniques. For the moment at least, it was enough to perform the current kata in sync with Kaoru, though Yahiko's was close.

For nearly half an hour they trained before Yahiko had to sit out, exhausted from the weight of a real sword. Truthfully, Kaoru was getting somewhat winded for the same reason had a reasonable bit of stamina left. So she and Kenshin continued as Yahiko watched how synchronized his teachers' movements were. In all honesty, Kaoru was a good teacher and a skilled swordswoman. However, where she was skilled, Kenshin was on an entirely different level. The man was a genius swordsman with few equals in all the world. This was the first time Yahiko had seen Kenshin use Kaoru's style but he knew that Kenshin had only known her a few days longer than himself. The fact that Yahiko could tell no difference between the movements of either master was yet another testament to how dangerous Kenshin truly was. The man had learned a style to near perfection without having once attempted it as far as Yahiko knew.

When Kaoru finally tired, Kenshin was still going strong though he had changed to his original style. The kata were quite different. Instead of short combinations of strike, block, counterattack; the style seemed to flow from attack to attack in seamless fashion. There were moments when Kenshin seemed to glide along the floor without having moved his legs at all. Both Kamiya Kasshin practitioners knew the man would crush them if it came to a real fight. That fact made them determined to grow stronger, so they could fight at his side as equals. It was a lofty goal.

Nearly another half hour passed before Kenshin started to ware down. To his luck Sanosuke finally showed up, still somewhat depressed by the death of his friend. It had been a long day.

"Oy Kenshin, where's the silver haired brat. I've got a question for him." Sanosuke asked as he strolled into the dojo, not yet realizing that Kenshin was practicing. Everyone present had to admit, this was quite unusual. They knew he starting practicing recently but he had never done so in their presence. Kenshin always found some secluded place, away from civilization to do his training.

Finishing his kata, Kenshin flicked his blade as if throwing off the blood of a fallen foe and sheathed it in one swift motion. The seriousness of the movement was quite out of character for the Kenshin they knew. Fortunately, the moment his blade clicked into its sheath, the swordsman's demeanor changed from one of calm seriousness to his usual lightheartedness.

"Well it's about time you showed up here. Alden made us a bunch of stuff." Kaoru replied. If he was only going to show up for meals, she wasn't sure she wanted him around so often. The least he could do is help with some of the chores.

"I don't have time for that missy, where is he?" Sanosuke replied in a slightly annoyed tone. It was starting to get late but there were things he simply couldn't rest without knowing.

"Why do you want to know now? He left a while ago." Kaoru replied, growing even more annoyed than Sanosuke. She had been perfectly content watching Kenshin practice until this loudmouth showed up, making demands.

"Left where?"

"He didn't say; that he did not. He should be back later though if you want to wait." Kenshin replied with a smile. It was easy to tell why Sanosuke wanted to speak with Alden so bad. The man clearly wanted to punch this Kanryu's face in. "Alden did leave something for you though; that he most certainly did." The swordsman could tell that this tidbit would change the conversation rather nicely. The ability to read people was one of the traits that made him such an accomplished swordsman, it was also rather useful for guiding conversations out of dangerous waters.

"Left something, like what?" Intrigued, Sanosuke thought that maybe the boy had left some kind of letter to him or something. He seemed to be a know-it-all so far, so Sanosuke wouldn't have put it past him.

Instead of saying, Kenshin decided to show the knucklehead. After Alden left, they had removed the Nodachi from the trunk and placed it upon Sano's new uniform. In the corner of the room. Moving over to it, Kenshin took the blade and offered it to his friend with both hands.

"Alden made us new swords and uniforms; that he did. They are astonishingly well made." Kenshin replied, refusing no hint of the pride he felt in the inspiration.

"The brat made these?" Sanosuke wasn't one for black but his coat was getting really dirty. _"Well, it might give me a chance to get this thing washed."_ He thought as he glanced at the black clothes beneath the sword. "Don't tell me he put any of his weird magic in them." The blade alone was well over two meters long, not nearly as big or broad as his old blade but vastly lighter. Otherwise it was entirely of the same design as the rest.

"I don't know, he didn't mention anything about yours." Yahiko replied, deciding it would be funny if Sano accidently started melting things with his sword. Technically he wasn't lying but the boy wasn't exactly being honest either.

"It's a reverse blade sword like ours. He said if we tapped twice, just below the guard, it would melt just like his; that he did." At this, Sanosuke blinked and swallowed hard. That was actually rather frightening. Part of him wanted to draw the blade and see it for himself but another screamed at how stupid that was. Magic wasn't normal and this kid shouldn't be giving out magic weapons either.

"Don't tell me he gave Yahiko one too?" Sanosuke replied, now even more concerned for the safety of their existence. Seriously, who gave kids weapons capable of melting through stone?

"Pfft, the jerk left whatever made it work out of mine." Yahiko replied in disappointment. Everyone always treated him like a kid!

"Well at least, he's got some sense." Taking the blade into his hand, Sanosuke could feel just how light it really was. Even for a man who had wielded the Zanbato, this blade was extraordinarily light for its size. It felt like it would snap like a twig but upon drawing it, he noticed no give under its own weight. Whatever this was made of, it was strong. Somehow he knew it would be far stronger than his old one. Giving it a couple test swings, he was surprised with how well it moved. The length would give Sano many more options in combat than his old one. It was long but not so much that he would have difficulty swinging it in multiple directions. The Zanbato was only good for vertical chops or horizontal swings. With this, he could do much more especially with a decent jump.

"I hate admitting it but the brat outdid himself." Sano stated, while taking a closer look at the blade as it rested in both of his hands. The man wasn't much of a swordsman, more of a brawler, but even he could see how well this blade would work for him.

"He does seem to have us pegged. Unfortunately, Mr. Yamagata wants us all to have a second weapon, something more deadly; that he does." Kenshin added in a colder tone. This was a fact that he was not very happy with.

"What, you never told us that?" Sano replied, surprised by the sudden announcement. If they were commanded to carry a second weapon, what the hell were they supposed to carry? "How are you going to deal with that and have a reverse blade squad?"

"This one does not know yet." _"But I intend to solve this problem before we get our first mission."_

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The sun had completely set by the time Aoshi had completed his meeting with Kanryu. Apparently Megumi Takani was becoming more belligerent as of late. The woman was a skillful doctor and the only person he knew with both the skills and knowledge to make Kanryu's latest opium blend. She was in fact, the drug lord's proverbial golden goose, at least for the moment. From a little poking around Aoshi knew that the man was dabbling in arms dealing. If that part of the business proved as lucrative as it seemed to be, the man likely wouldn't need Megumi much longer. These were the thoughts that passed through Aoshi's mind as he made his way back to his room; that is, until he realized that someone had a light on.

Aoshi was a fairly tall man, with dark hair that parted into bangs and eyes as blue as Alden's. Were it not of his white and yellow trench coat, he would look like he were poorly imitating the dress of the local police. He certainly did not look the part of a ninja, but that was not their mission with Kanryu. Here they were supposed to be body guards and for that they had to be intimidating; the twin kodachi to his sides and the visceral expression on his face gave exactly that impression.

Cautiously the ninja peered into the room, alert and prepared to draw his kodachi if necessary. To Aoshi's surprise there was a very short person with silver hair, sitting on a cushion at his table. The smell of freshly brewed tea floated freely in the chamber. Whoever this person was, he was not supposed to be here.

"Who are you?" Aoshi demanded before he took a single step into the room. How this man had got here was a disturbing question. The best men Aoshi had ever trained were stationed around this facility with skills that would even give members of the Shinsengumi a run for their money. For a single man to break in without any signs of struggle …

"Aoshi Shinomori, I was starting to worry that this wasn't your room. Come, sit, have some tea." Alden stated in a casual tone, not turning at all to see his new 'guest'. Though Aoshi couldn't see the man's face he could tell that it was a boy who was yet to hit puberty, the voice was too underdeveloped. The symbol on the boy's back was new to him as well, like no symbol he had ever seen before. Whatever was going on here, it was strange to say the least.

"You didn't answer my question. If you're here to see Kanryu you should go through the normal channels." Aoshi replied coldly. He was not in the mood for games; Kanryu made sure of that with his incessant demands to make Aoshi act like some common thug.

"I have no business with Kanryu. Please, sit, we have much to discuss. Tea? It's not poisoned." Alden offered in a calm but slightly more cheerful tone as he poured two cups from the pot, sipping from one after placing the other towards the open end of the table. Still tense, Aoshi paused for a moment to try and gage this situation. So far as he could tell, this boy held no ill will, at least none that could be discerned from the boy's calm demeanor. Visibly relaxing, Aoshi pulled his hands away from his blades and took a few steps closer.

"Most men would have offered sake. It is also rude not to introduce yourself." Taking a seat opposite the boy he could tell that there were two full length katana hidden under the folds of the long coat. To Aoshi's surprise the coat was almost identical to his own, only of some leathery material and black with a hood. This 'meeting' was taking a turn for the strange.

"Forgive my manners, but atmosphere is essential to a proper conversation. The name is Alden Nayel and you could say I'm a messenger. As for the rest, I am rather fond of tea as I know you are as well. After all, sake dulls the senses and makes for poor decisions."

"I figured you would have referenced your age. Regardless, a messenger for who." Aoshi replied, taking his own cup of tea and enjoying a small sip. It was surprisingly sweet and calming. The boy was right, this kind of atmosphere made for far better conversations.

"A new government organization. We have need of your exceptional skills." Alden stated with as little detail as possible. He wanted to draw this conversation out, to get Aoshi to ask questions and become enticed by the offer.

"As I told them before, I have no interest in any business that does not include the Oniwaban group." Aoshi had received countless offers from various government organizations. Thus far, none of them extended to his whole group. Aoshi was not the kind of leader to abandon them.

"Forgive me for being so vague. This invitation extends to anyone you wish, so long as they agree as well."

"So they finally grew a spine. I'm sorry to say we have a rather long term contract with Kanryu. The pay is more than adequate."

"I see, you may wish to reconsider that once you hear a bit more about our group. We are called the Lotus Guard and will be operating directly under Lord Aritomo Yamagata with the leadership of Kenshin Himura, the legendary Battousai." Now that was interesting. Those were some big names. There were few with more political and military power than Lord Yamagata and just as few with more skill than the Battousai.

"I see, while that is impressive I hardly see how that would make me reconsider." Aoshi replied, though he was starting to have a bad feeling about an organization with that much power. His goal was to make the Oniwaban the best group there ever was. With that kind of backing, there was little room for competition for that title. The fact that it was led by the Battousai only solidified that fact.

"We are to be a special operations group. With as much diplomacy or force as necessary, we are going to be _dealing_ with a number of groups that pose a threat to the stability of the government. We know that Kanryu's been dealing in a new and potent form of opium, what's worse, we also know that he's been dabbling in the illegal arms trade. Let's just say that Kanryu won't be a very stable business partner for much longer." This was troubling. Not only did this mean that the government knew about Kanryu's operations in full, but they also had a special task force set to deal with him. To make matters worse, this task force was headed by the legendary Battousai. Defeating such a group would be troublesome to say the least.

On one hand, if the Oniwaban won, they would easily be renowned as the strongest force in Japan's history. On the other hand, win or lose, they would be placed well on the 'enemy' side of the government. Thus far Japan had largely turned a blind eye to the movements of the Oniwaban. It was a fringe group of ninja what acted as mercenaries and had little interest in opposing the current power structure. This new group, this Lotus Guard, changed everything.

"So you're telling me that I'm to join you or die. That's hardly a request." Forget requests, this was an outright threat, and Aoshi did not take well to threats.

"Certainly not. While you and your group would be a highly valuable asset to our cause, you will not be a target so long as you do not directly oppose the government. When the time comes to deal with Kanryu or similar organizations, so long as we end the day on peaceful terms, you are free to do as you wish."

"This seems too easy, why would the government change their mind about us so quickly?" This offer was too good to be true. There had to be some sort of catch. Aoshi was trying to reason out what logical reason there could possibly be behind this move when Alden slowly stood.

"That end rests with Kenshin and myself. We need powerful but loyal people, the kind who are not motivated by money but by a sense of honor. The fact that you turned down numerous offers for the sake of your comrades is commendable. The government does not care if you join us or not. The Battousai and myself on the other hand… There are people plotting to destroy the government, people who are trying to bring together the strongest warriors in all of Japan. We intend to stop them or bring them to our side…" The boy paused and faded out of existence His voice was still present but to Aoshi's astonishment the boy had quite literally vanished into thin air.

Only a few moments later, Alden's disembodied voice rang out. "You want the Oniwaban to be known as the strongest, the best who ever lived. The question you need to ask yourself right now is whether you care more about the Oniwaban being the best, or your comrades…" A small scroll dropped out of thin air, landing on a small bundle of black clothes with a set of Kodachi on the top.

"Consider it a gift. If you wish to test our strength, be my guest. But I don't think the Battousai will be a very happy man when he comes to see Kanryu." The voice grew softer until it vanished completely. Looking out the window, Aoshi could barely see Megumi fleeing into the distant moonlit trees. The boy knew something, Aoshi knew it.

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**Chapter Notes**

I've got to say, I'm really glad I decided to break up the story and stick with this universe. I really am enjoying writing this plot. Interesting fact, I just figured out what I'm going to do with the X-men universe when I get around to it. The plot shall come together quite nicely. Something about this story has me more excited than the original ever did.


	9. Chapter 09 - A Challenge

**The False Apocalypse **

**Book 1: A New Beginning**

**Chapter Nine**

**A Challenge**

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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the worlds or characters from the crossovers. If I did I would be working on them and not this. The original characters and world in the first chapter are however of my own creation. Some dialogue in this chapter is recognizably similar to episode 10 of Rurouni Kenshin.

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"You idiots! You're supposed to be the best. Where were you last night when she vanished?" Kanryu demanded, livid at the fact that the only person with the knowledge to produce his new opium blend was missing. They had only noticed it this morning and Kanryu had just ordered a number of mercenaries to retrieve the woman. Until he got her back, all of Kanryu's plans were on hold. This event was by far the greatest failure he had ever witnessed in all his time as a businessman.

"Evidently, I was in a meeting with you, discussing how she was starting to act up. If you let me do my job instead of treating me like the rest of your hired help then maybe I would have seen her leaving the premises." Aoshi replied in a cold tone. He did not like having his competence questioned. Truthfully he had seen the woman escape after that peculiar meeting last night. However, he assumed that boy had helped the woman escape. The last thing he wanted to do at the moment was to step into a direct confrontation with the government. Truthfully, with the way Kanryu was acting, Aoshi was drawing closer to accepting the offer.

"And what about the rest of your men? What am I paying you for if not to keep this sort of thing from happening!" More demands, and more complaining this morning had been nothing but. If Kanryu wanted the woman back then all he needed to do was say 'go get her.' Did he do that? No, he insisted on complaining and belittling the competence of the Oniwaban group.

"A couple of your men saw her last night but were too incompetent to catch her. Perhaps you should let us get to our job so we can retrieve her?" Aoshi replied; sure it was a bit hypocritical of him considering what he knew but Aoshi also knew that Kanryu's day were numbered. With how the boy made it sound, there weren't very many numbers left.

"I don't need this backtalk Aoshi, you work for me. I won't forgive any more mistakes!" Kanryu was digging his own grave here and the spade seemed to be picking up pace. This became quite evident when Hannya lifted their benefactor off the ground by the collar.

"You don't understand Kanryu, our leader is the only one who leads the Oniwaban group. I don't remember swearing allegiance to the likes of you!" Hannya explained with venom clear in his voice. Members of the Oniwaban were loyal to only one man and that was their leader, Aoshi Shinomori. If Kanryu was so keen on leading them then perhaps he should take up a sword and prove his own worth?

"And who do you think pays that precious leader of yours? You can't refuse my orders, I'm the one with the money, hahaha" Kanryu really was insufferable. The fool really thought that money meant everything.

"Put him down Hannya. I'll send out Beshimi and Hyottoko to retrieve the woman. They should be more than enough." Aoshi replied with a sigh. This situation was starting to wear on this nerves. On one hand, this infuriating man was the biggest payout the Oniwaban had found in years. On the other, Aoshi knew that this Lotus Guard had something to do with Megumi's escape. It was simply too much of a coincidence. The fact that such a group had a sorcerer capable of rendering himself immediately invisible was a terrifying prospect. If the man could teach the Battousai such a technique than the man would be truly unstoppable. Kanryu had no idea the kind of game he was playing.

Without hesitation Hannya did as ordered. His leader's commands were absolute after all. Sure it pissed him off, but the man was very good at hiding it when he wanted to. The porcelain oni mask that covered his face made that end a simple task.

"Good, at least one of you knows how to play the loyal dog." Kanryu added while straining his ruffled business suit. Money really did make the world go round after all. Somehow he would have to teach Aoshi how to reign in his pets. This suit was expensive and Kanryu hated it when his expensive things became blemished.

Without any further word said, Kanryu left, satisfied with the results of their little meeting. Soon Megumi would be back in his control and the production of his opium would return to normal. Once the man had closed the door however, Hannya made his burning question known.

"I fail to see why we continue to put up with that man. The more work we do for him, the less he respects us." After all Hannya did not take kindly to being compared to a dog; loyal as they were, the Oniwaban were not show pets for petty tricks.

"I was visited by a rather interesting person last night." Aoshi replied with his hands clasped behind his back. With a slow step he looked out a nearby window to where countless guards now filled the lush courtyard below. The ninja's eyes traced the path his visitor likely took after fleeing on his own terms.

"Leader?" Hannya knew that his leader was a man of few words but the man's current mannerisms were clearly not normal.

"Tell Beshimi and Hyottoko to capture Megumi. If she is being guarded by men in black coats with this symbol on it, give her this scroll instead." Aoshi flashed a scroll that was rather different than the one he was left after pointing to the symbol on the back of a black coat on the floor nearby. If they were going to send him a message then he would have to do the same.

"They are not to engage?" Hannya asked, curious as to the reason why his leader was altering the plan. Such action would not likely sit well with Kanryu. The ninja could care less, but it did please him that their leader was not going to play nicely with the businessman.

"No, I don't believe we will have to deal with Kanryu much longer. It would be best to keep our prospects open." Aoshi replied, silently enough to ensure they wouldn't be heard.

"Of course, leader." With a bow Hannya turned to the shadows and left with all the stealth and swiftness that was expected of a ninja.

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"Wow Kenshin, you really are bad at gambling. I thought you were supposed to be good at reading people?" Sanosuke commented after losing yet another round of dice throws. He was starting to lose confidence in the man's ability to gamble. There had to be at least fifteen losses in a row.

"Unfortunately, reading people has very little to do with this type of gambling; that it does not." Kenshin replied, calmly sipping from a cup of tea. Truthfully Kenshin didn't really care about the gambling. It was all with spare change anyway and the fact that it was illegal meant that if they did any of this seriously they could wind up in quite a bit of trouble. It wouldn't look good on their record to be in trouble with the law so soon after forming a new special police force.

"Come on Kenshin, you've got to get at least one right."

"Yea just give it another shot. Nobody's that bad." One of Sano's three friends added from the other end of the small room.

"Evens, two and six" Kenshin stated without much care. Really if Sano wanted to win he really should rely on his own skills. If it weren't for Alden's insistence that they be here for this, the swordsmen wasn't sure he wanted a part of it. It was dangerous risking all their progress with Mr. Yamagata on such a silly game. Again the dice was thrown into a little clay bowl. To Sanosuke's bad luck the dice landed on one and three.

"Seriously Kenshin, are you trying to sabotage us or something? … No you couldn't be." As if hit by a horse, Sanosuke felt like he had come to a realization. Nobody was that bad. Anyone that bad at gambling ought to tell when something bad was going to happen by their winning. There was only one solution, Kenshin was actually a master at this and was losing on purpose! Grabbing Kenshin by the head an pulling him into a an arm lock while chastising the man for rigging the game against them. "Come on, we have to win at least one of these!"

Though he would never say it out loud, Kenshin was shocked that Sanosuke had found him out. He supposed it was a bit obvious if you lost over 20 games in a row. It was a simple game of dice after all. There were only so many combinations.

"Just give it a rest Sano. It's obvious that today's just cursed for you. Maybe it's that new job of yours." Another of Sanosuke's friends commented with a laugh. They were kidding of course but it was impossible to deny the irony of it. The moment Sano got a legitimate job, his gambling skills went down the river.

"Whatever, you guys know I needed something. At least this way I get to crack a few skulls every once in a while." Sano replied in a far too relaxed tone. Only Sano could so casually talk about beating people to a pulp.

"I was surprised when I read about it in the paper. It's hard to imagine we're gambling with a general, eh?" In the middle of the conversation they suddenly turned to the door where they could hear the distinct sound of wooden geta on stone. None a moment later, their door was thrown wide to reveal a mature and dark headed woman in a purple and light pink kimono. She paused for only a moment, glancing at the gathering of men before closing the door and throwing herself into Kenshin's arms. This was actually very surprising for Kenshin who was not at all used to this kind of attention.

"You've got to help me! Some awful men have been chasing me around the city." The woman explained, clearly frightened for her life. Kenshin however, knew that this was the Megumi Takani that Alden had told them about. This really was the day and the real reason he had accompanied Sano today. As the woman continued to beg for assistance, a heavily bearded man with a sword and another with a knife burst into the room. Without delay they demanded that the woman be handed over.

"Looks like we've got some rude guests here." Sanosuke commented about the obtrusiveness of the men. They hadn't even removed their shoes like the woman had. That was certainly bad manners, even by Sanosuke's standards.

"Shut up, you keep out of it!" The one with the katana demanded as he stepped forward, taking ahold of the woman's shoulder. When she tried resisting the firm grip, Sanosuke made sure to leave a nice imprint of his fist on the man's face. The punch was so hard in fact that he managed to dislodge three teeth and break two others. Sano was not the kind of person you wanted to punch you in the face.

"You better watch it, I'm already in a bad mood." Palming his fist and cracking his knuckles Sanosuke made sure to scare the men into submission.

"Do you even know who you're talking to? We're the personal body guards of Kanryu Takeda. You can't get away with treating us like this!"

"Am I supposed to be impressed by that? You're talkin to a guy who pals around with the Battousai of all people. I wouldn't give a shit if you were the personal body guards of the Emperor himself. You don't treat a woman like that." Sanosuke replied with a bit of a smirk. He actually liked the sound of that. It wasn't often that one got to throw around names of people in high places; so if they were willing to play the 'one up' game then Sano was happy to oblige. To solidify his point Sano decided it was a good a time as any to throw their clay pot in the man's face. This day was turning out to be a good stress reliever.

To their relief that final action got the two body guards to run like a couple dogs with their tails between their legs.

"Body guards of Kanryu Takeda, so those are the men Alden was talking about." Kenshin commented seriously. He knew that these two were merely low grade guards but he also knew that members of Aoshi's group would be coming soon enough. True to his expectations Kenshin was able to detect the presence of someone just on the other side of the wall. Whoever it was, his skills at hiding were fairly high. Fortunately for Kenshin, his senses were well beyond what most even skilled warriors would consider normal. In his past there was even a time when Kenshin had to fight, robbed of his main senses and was forced to rely on his ability to sense an opponent's fighting spirit. Even for someone at Kenshin's level, that sense was not so developed that he could have won that particular battle and it had cost him the life of his wife Tomoe. Today however, Kenshin's sense of hearing was all he needed.

"You can come out from there now; that you should." Kenshin stated, his tone indicating that he was not about to play around with whoever was in hiding. Without any further need for goading, Beshimi of the Oniwaban blurred around the corner and crouched low to the ground with his arms hidden within the flowing sleeves of his outfit.

"Hehehehe, so you were able to detect my presence? Impressive, but that woman's not who you think she is. Hehehehe, no matter what you do Kanryu will have her back." Beshimi replied, thoroughly amused with the situation. His gray and blue garb made for an interesting counterbalance to his deep red mohawk.

"Hmph, you can go back to Kanryu and tell him that no matter what he does, I'll always find a way to run away again.

"Hmmhmhmhm, you really are a real cutie, heheheh." Beshimi couldn't help but laugh at the situation. There were none of these black coats Aohshi warned him about nearby, just a wannabe swordsman and a few muscle bound morons. This was just too easy. The ninja thought as he pulled his hands out from his sleeve, each thumb positioned well inside his closed fists. With more skill and swiftness than most eyes could follow, Beshimi flicked each thumb twice. Four bullet like projectiles flew towards everyone, save Megumi and one of Sanosuke's friends.

Of everyone in the room, Kenshin was the only one with the senses to react to the assault. His eyes narrowed dangerously at the attack and drew his new blade, catching two of the projectiles in a single swing and the other two in a follow-up movement. To everyone present, the maneuver was but a shimmering of reflected light off Kenshin's steel blade. What was more surprising though was the fact that the bullet like objects were not just deflected, they had been reduced to a molten slag that showered Beshimi and burnt holes through his clothes and the wall behind him. A faint orange hue could be seen for only a second where Kenshin's new sakabato stood ready.

"If you wish to attack the innocent, then this one shall be your opponent." Kenshin stated with steeled resolve in his eyes, his blade at the ready.

"What the…" Beshimi couldn't help but be a little freaked out by the fact that his special projectiles had not only been deflected, but melted as well. He could tell from the pain in his own skin that this was not an opponent that he could hope to defeat. Perhaps now was the time to go get Hyottoko. Yes, that was all he could do. It was then that a terrible thought crossed his mind. What if these were the men Aoshi warned him about? What if they were merely out of uniform for the day? If that was so then he could easily see why their leader would be so cautious. It didn't matter… now was the time to regroup. They could discuss the possibilities later.

Without a second though Beshimi retreated as quickly as his trained feet could carry him.

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The afternoon was gorgeous as Alden seemingly relaxed beneath the largest tree on Kaoru's property. While it seemed like Alden was taking a break after the previous night's escapade, he was in fact participating in a very strange training routine.

"_No that's not it. Why can't I get it! I know I saw him flinch, I saw it, so why can't I do it again!" _The silver haired boy mentally cursed himself, having tried a very specific technique dozens of times over the last couple hours. There was something missing, there had to be. When he and Kenshin went up against Jinei, Alden had made sure to pay especially close attention to the psychopath during each of the man's techniques. The Shin no Ippo was a powerful technique that would be invaluable to the Lotus Guard. By its very design, it was a perfect combat technique and one that was even more useful for restraining weak targets. If Alden could replicate and teach it, the technique would make 'clearing the trash' a child's game. All the weakest opponents within view would be rendered incapable of little more than thought. Meanwhile, the Lotus Guard could focus on anyone strong enough to repel the technique.

As was seen with Jinei, even highly skilled opponents would be momentarily slowed with each use of the technique. Granted, each use on a specific person became less effective as they became used to breaking it. Until one achieved a level of determination that vastly outpaced the technique's user, at the very minimum the technique would provide that split second advantage in a close fight. During Jinei's escape, Alden had seen the man flinch for only an instant when he tried using the technique. Somehow, in the heat of battle, Alden had successfully utilized the technique to some minor effect on a highly skilled opponent. Today however, the dimension jumper couldn't seem to replicate the effect on even the tiniest of birds.

Thus far, the most Alden had managed to achieve in his training had been to frighten away a particularly tiny bird when his eyes pulsed with his fighting spirit. Fighting spirit was a rather abstract concept to most. Back in Alden's home world, the mention of such a thing as real would have got you laughed out of all but the most fringe spiritualist groups or geek conventions. In this world however, it was a very real thing that Alden had felt quite strongly in the battle against Jinei. To be honest, the word 'fighting spirit' was most accurately a type of spiritual aura. Few knew if it was an illusion of all your senses working together to create a type of sixth sense or if it was a legitimate projection of your actual aura that could be sensed and projected with enough skill.

The thought occurred that perhaps this logical thought on the subject was Alden's problem. Perhaps, the reason it worked before was simply because the boy imitated the skill out of sheer feeling in a very tense moment, complete instinct. Now that he had time to think about it and try to reason how it was possible, it became impossible because he was using reason instead of his feelings. On one hand, the Shin no Ippo could have been a paralyzing fear instilled by the projection of one's 'fighting spirit.' On the other, perhaps it was just a simple trick of hypnosis, tricking the target into thinking they were paralyzed. Another possibility raised itself. Perhaps the solution was both? What if Jinei was using his fighting spirit to project a hypnotic suggestion, a suggestion so powerful that it was even possible to stop unconscious bodily functions? This would certainly explain how it was possible to project such a thing without direct eye contact. Regardless of the case, it would be impossible to properly replicate without discovering the secret.

Reaching inward with his senses Alden meditated, attempting with all his might to detect his own fighting spirit and those around him, or whatever it was. It seemed like forever that he sat there, searching for something that may not even exist. Eventually he lost track of time. With his eyes closed, it was impossible to tell how far the sun had moved, but in his meditation he found an odd sense of peace from the feel of the many birds and little creatures around him. One in particular seemed to have taken a liking to the tree above his head. Focusing on the bird, a smile came to Alden's face when he felt some familiar presences just before he heard footsteps at the edge of his hearing. Startled by an extra set of feet, the silver haired boy was shaken from his meditative state and turned to see the new presence. To his surprise, his attention was suddenly drawn far closer when he felt a thud on the ground nearby.

A bird had fallen less than a meter away. Taking a closer look, Alden could tell that the bird was not breathing, yet its eyes looked around in terror. An abrupt feeling of guilt and dread filled the boy's gut as he realized what happened. Somehow he did it again, but the technique was too powerful for the bird's small body and it had become completely paralyzed. Not wanting the small creature to die, Alden was unsure of what to do. He had cast the technique but now he needed a way to cancel it. The will to return the bird to its own control filled him and not a moment later the bird hopped up and fled in fear. That was the moment when Alden realized just how dangerous a person's fighting spirit really was. Nobody understood it and they assumed it was some trick of hypnosis. No, the Shin no Ippo was much more than simple hypnosis.

Kenshin would have to hear of this, but for now they had a doctor to protect.

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Kaoru Kamiya had never described herself as a jealous woman. Unfortunately, that is a difficult thing to judge for oneself, especially when one has never had much to be jealous of. Kaoru was not wealthy but she was better off than many. As far as relationships went, she had always been too busy with the dojo to get very attached to anyone. Over the last weeks however, she couldn't help but become quite attached to a certain wandering swordsman. In spite of Kenshin's past as a legendary manslayer, his personally as it was today, perfectly personified the principles of the Kamiya Kasshin style. In many ways, it was a dream come true.

That was what made the current sight so devastatingly infuriating. Kenshin had just stepped through the main gate with some kind of slutty she-witch draped over him. Whoever this woman was, Kaoru had a deep seeded feeling that the two of them would not get along. Megumi's lack of tact in calling the dojo something akin to a rundown shack made for Kaoru's last straw. The ensuing argument did not help in the least, nor did the information that this was the Megumi Takani that Alden had told them about. Unfortunately for Kaoru and Kenshin's nerves to boot, they would have to provide refuge for Megumi until further notice. It was fortunate however, that Alden took notice of them and came over before the arguments could get too out of hand.

The most pressing concern at the moment was to get changed into uniform. If the Oniwaban had decided to fight, then the Lotus Guard would have to fight with the backing of their government. The day's newspaper held the announcement of their formation with their crest emblazoned on the front page. Though they were yet to do anything important, even the police knew the kind of power Kenshin's new group wielded. They held the ear of some of the most powerful men in the country in more ways than one.

To say that Kenshin was shocked at how close Alden had come to duplicating Jinei's technique would be a dramatic understatement. The swordsman wholeheartedly agreed with the boy's assessment of the technique's usefulness. It truly would give them a dramatic advantage if they could perfect it and Kenshin insisted that they work together on it. It would likely be some time before they had the technique at Jinei's level but it was certainly a start. With that tantalizing skill at their fingertips, it was decided that Megumi should stay inside while they guarded the dojo and worked on this new technique.

Megumi herself was a rather odd individual, considering her predicament. The way she acted around Kenshin, the woman would have fit in well in a modern red light district. That act quickly faded once she realized it was no longer necessary. She was in the presence of a General and his immediate subordinates after all. Clearly that point had not sunk in from Sanosuke's earlier comments. Lucky was far too soft a word for how she felt at the moment. What were the odds of quite literally running into the best possible protection in all of Japan? To make matters even better, they already knew about Kanryu and were planning on dismantling his entire organization. Yes, she was quite satisfied with her current level of protection.

With time unfortunately, Megumi's level of satisfaction with her protection began to wane. As strong as Kenshin and Sanosuke seemed to be, they were also too busy playing some weird staring contest with a silver haired kid.

"What are you three doing? I thought you were going to protect me, not play some childish staring game."

"You ought to be a little more grateful, missy. Besides we're not playing, Alden here learned some magic spell and he's trying to teach it to us." Though Sanosuke wasn't a fan of magic in the least, the concept of learning whatever technique Jinei used on them was too tantalizing to let go. He wasn't a fan of underhanded tricks and didn't quite get the concept of this 'fighting spirit' but if it kept him from falling into a similar trap again then he was all for it.

"It's hardly a magic trick Sano, though I must admit it certainly looks like one; that it does." Kenshin replied with a lighthearted laugh. This technique was much more than a simple trick, it was a martial arts technique of the highest caliber; the sort of thing that only true geniuses learned at a young age. The greatest martial artists slowly became attuned to what was effectively a sixth sense. That sense was not exactly supernatural, but not exactly physical either. It was actually quite difficult to describe but it was most simply labeled as feeling an opponent's aura. Understanding what such minute feelings meant, much less projecting it as a potent technique was another matter altogether. One had to be deeply in tune with their own body and the rest of their senses before sensing such a thing became possible. The truth was that everyone had this sixth sense but few could filter it out from the noise of all their other senses assaulting their mind at once. It took a clear mind and dedicated focus to feel these sorts of things.

"There was a man we fought the other day who was a master of this technique. With it he could paralyze all but the strongest enemies with nothing but a glance." Alden replied in a matter-o-fact tone.

"That's impossible, no one can attack the body with so little." As a doctor, Megumi was hardly convinced. The human body was a complex system of countless facets that allowed it to operate. The idea that someone could stare at someone and paralyze them was laughable. Even if chi really existed it would take a nearly century old master of the art to produce anything remotely that potent.

"You can laugh all you want missy, but Jinei got us all with it. It took a while to figure out how to break free of it." Sanosuke couldn't help but smirk when Megumi looked at him in disbelief. There had to be some kind of trick to the technique, wires, glue, something! Nobody had that kind of power. It was like saying you could literally cut the air into a void, nonsense.

"I nearly killed a bird with it before you arrived. It takes a great deal of concentration, but I assure you; it is a very real thing." Alden added and took focus on a nearby squirrel. Thus far his only luck had been with small animals. Their bodies were small and their minds smaller. He would have to work his way up over time.

"That's impossible no one can…" It was impossible not to trail off when the doctor saw the little creature stop dead in its tracks. Not a move could be made by the creature as it stood in apparent paralyzed fear. No living animal stood so still. She had never seen anything like it before. If the boy was this powerful then how strong was this Kenshin? Perhaps they really did stand a chance against the Oniwaban group.

"You haven't heard my backstory yet. Apparently the impossible is our specialty." Releasing the squirrel, it tried to scurry away in fear though it paused for just a moment when Kenshin tried to use the technique. The red haired swordsman was having much quicker luck than Alden did. Sure the silver haired boy had figured out the trick to it but this also proved just how much of a genius Kenshin was. Any normal swordsman would have taken weeks or months to get to this point under structured guidance. Jinei likely trained for years to get to his level.

It was quite clear that this technique would not be ready to face the Oniwaban if that was truly necessary. In the coming months however, this would surely come to be the signature technique of the Lotus Guard.

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"That's the guy, I was afraid of this." Beshimi cursed from his place high in a tree outside the Kamiya Dojo. Night had come to Japan by the time Beshimi and Hyottoko met up with Hannya. After the earlier fiasco they had determined that it would be best to regroup and stake out their targets for a while. Night would be the optimum time to strike after all. This had also proved Beshimi's earlier suspicions as to Kenshin's identity.

"They have the black coats that Aoshi warned us about." Hannya replied seriously. In truth, the matter was worse than that. They had heard of Zanza, the former fighter for hire and knew that he would be a difficult adversary, even if they knew he could be beaten. The legendary Battousai was another matter altogether. It was a near certainty that only Aoshi could defeat the man and he had made it quite clear that he had little intention of fighting this group. It was no wonder with the man being made a General in the army. The silver haired boy was a mystery but it was difficult not to have read the news of such a boy, capable of wielding fire like magic. Hyottoko was actually quite eager to put those claims to the test but Hannya put that line of thought to an effective end.

"Well I still think we should give-em a parting gift from the Oniwaban group." Hyottoko was huge by human standards and would have stood out like a sore thumb, were it not for the massive walls around the Kamiya dojo. Though his voice was usually booming he knew when to keep it to a whisper. He was a ninja after all, if more direct than most.

"Our leader's orders are absolute. I will deliver the scroll. You two report to our leader" Hannya commanded with little room for argument.

"Kanryu won't be happy about this." Beshimi surmised, though in a tone that indicated that he would do as commanded. Though he hadn't seen the businessman's earlier rant, it was impossible not to see Hannya's dissatisfaction with it.

"If Kanryu thinks he can order us around like the rest of his dogs then he is sorely mistaken." If anyone was a stickler for orders, it was Hannya. Following orders were what saved him on countless missions. Following orders was what brought the Oniwaban honor in battle. That said, he would be thrice damned to hell if he was going to let some peon who couldn't even lift a sword act superior to their honored leader.

Hannya may not have known what message was in the scroll, but he did know that his leader wouldn't give up on his target so easily. He glared at his allies until they left and were well out of sight. It was time to complete his mission.

"This one was wondering when you might show yourself." Kenshin commented on Hannya's sudden appearance the moment he touched the grass on the inside of the wall. Clearly Kenshin had been paying attention for quite a while. In his black robes he was leaned up against the dojo's wall, with his new blade resting firmly on his shoulder. Neither could sense any impending hostility from the other so Hannya continued his mission while Kenshin continued to keep his senses open.

"I have orders from our leader to deliver a message." The masked man stated as he approached the red headed swordsman with the scroll outstretched.

"So this one heard. I take it Aoshi received ours?" Kenshin replied, having finally been informed of Alden's movements the previous night. He was actually quite impressed with the boy's initiative. Now they just had to see what the man's reply would be.

"I don't know about that. All I know are the orders I was given." The ninja answered while placing the scroll on the porch within Kenshin's reach. The man immediately turned to vanish into the shadows but was stopped when Kenshin called out one last time.

"Aoshi does not want an answer?"

"My mission was to deliver the scroll, nothing more. What you do now is none of my business." No sooner had Hannya finished his reply than he had vanished into the shadows of the night.

Opening the scroll to read by the faint moonlight the message was simple.

Only the strongest may lead the Oniwaban. Challenge us if you dare.

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**Chapter Notes**

Let the raid begin and may the battle be epic.


End file.
